The Legacy We Live With
by kelzone
Summary: Takes place after Enies Lobby after the Strawhats leave Water 7. They meet up with Ace, who didn't find Blackbeard. Hearing Luffy talk, Ace becomes curious about a certain archeologist. The pirates are partying it up when Robin gets sucked into an adventure of her own somewhere else. [Ace, Robin] AceBin!
1. Chapter 1: All My Thoughts

_A/N: Hello Fanfic world! I'm fairly new to writing fanfics, but I felt compelled to do a story for my fav One Piece characters. I know Ace x Robin isn't a popular ship, but I totally see them together just cause their stories seemed to similar. So here it is. Hope you enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters._

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Chapter 1

A reunion with his brother was just the thing Ace needed after failing his mission to locate Marshall D. Teach. He had tracked Teach all the way to Alabasta, and after helping Luffy's gang with the princess and the rebellion business, Ace was unable to find another lead as to where the traitor was. A few weeks ago, Ace received a letter from his Captain, Whitebeard. He advised Ace to leave the matter alone for the time being. Apparently, Red Hair Shanks had said something about the matter. As to what he had said, Ace did not know. And not having found any more leads as to Teach's location, Ace decided that it was better to listening to his Captain's orders, and go back to the Moby Dick.

He had also received word that his loud, goofy, and impulsive captain of a brother, Monkey D. Luffy had declared war on the government to get a nakama back. He made it out alive, acquired a new ship with a new crewmate, and is now headed towards Ace for another brotherly get-together. And since Ace had met Luffy's nakama back in Alabasta, its only fair that Ace introduces his Luffy to his own loyal band of nakama that made up the Whitebeard pirates. Ace had spoken excitedly about Luffy to Whitebeard in the past, and Pops now wants to host a big party with sake and meat for the Whitebeards and Strawhats.

"Hey, Ace! Isn't that your brother's ship?" a voice rang out on the deck. Ace squinted his eyes in the direction his crewmate had indicated and not a second later, a hand stretched out and grabbed onto the railing in front of Ace.

BANG! Ace was knocked backwards onto the floor by a lanky body. The boy had propelled himself with that hand on the rail and knocked the wind out of his big brother. Grabbing his head and sitting up, Ace regretted not having ducked, knowing Luffy would have done that.

"Ace!" Luffy bear hugged his brother.

"Hai, Luffy! Where's the rest of your crew"

"Oh, I told them to park the ship over there"

He pointed towards an island ahead. Ace nodded towards his buddies to bring their own ship that way and proceeded to introduce Luffy to all his nakama and his great Captain, Edward Newgate. After introductions were made, the Captain returned to giving orders to some of crew regarding the food preparations for this evening. It was only Ace and Marco, the first division commander, left to entertain the young Strawhat.

"So, I heard you infiltrated Enies Lobby and shot down the government's flag. Is it true?" Marco asked

"Yep." responded Luffy.

"That's pretty gutsy of you, Strawhat. Maybe even more gutsy than Ace!"

Marco elbowed jokingly at the 2nd division commander. Ace just crossed his arms and pouted while Luffy snickered at the comment.

"Well, I had to save my nakama from sacrificing herself for us."

"Which nakama was this?"

"Robin"

That name gained a surprised look from Marco.

"Robin? As in Nico Robin? The Demon Child of Ohara with the 80,000,000 beri bounty since she was 8 years old, betraying every organization she's ever been apart of – that Nico Robin? She was sacrificing herself?" inquired Marco.

"Yep!" It was a simple response accompanied by a big grin.

"Wow. That woman really is quite a mystery."

"Robin's not a mystery. The government hated her because of her mom, and burned down her hometown. So she had to run and fight her whole life. But now she's happy and safe with us!"

Marco just raised an eyebrow, stunned at hearing such a sensible explanation from the dimwitted and rowdy Captain. The entire time, Ace had been leaning against the railing in between them listening. His hat rested further down in front of his face, hiding his eyes as his head swirled with new thoughts and emotions. Luffy moved on and was now talking excitedly with Marco about all of his battles with CP9 and back in Skypiea. Ace tried to paid attention, but his mind was spinning.

"Excuse me guys, I have to go get something from my quarters." Ace interjected in the middle of Luffy's account of his battle with Lucci.

"Okay, see you later Ace"

Ace hadn't really gone to his room. Instead, he wandered about the ship in a dazed state. Luffy's explanation had struck Ace's chest with a pang. It was a soreness that had been there since the day he was born and lasted until he joined the Whitebeards. At which point, it got buried away and hidden for so long that he had forgotten it had ever existed. Now it was back and Ace recalled all the memories of loneliness and resentment comprising his pitiful childhood. The only companion Ace had before Luffy was his contempt for a father who made a boy the government wanted dead and the world hated. He was also thinking about what Luffy had said about Nico Robin. He wondered how there was another person in the world that can understand what it's like to be detested by an entire world having done nothing except be born. Aimlessly, he strolled about, eyes fixed on creaky, wooden floors as these thoughts continued to swirl and churn and plague his throbbing head.

Ace was finally brought back to the present when he heard the loud noise emitting from the deck. From the thumping and laughter, Ace can tell that Luffy's crew had made it onto the ship and the party had begun. Figuring he should head out there, Ace moved toward the door, mind still swirling. The air hit him with a chill when the door swung open. The volume raised to a peak, and Ace had to navigate through the crowd of pirates, each of them already holding a beer filled glass, some of them two.

"Ace! Over here!" Luffy yelled. He was standing next to a broad and tall man in a speedo with a metal nose.

"I presume that this is your new nakama?" inquired Ace

"Yep! This is Franky! He's a cyborg and he built the Thousand Sunny!" stated Luffy proudly.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Portgas D. Ace, Luffy's big brother"

Ace, politely bowed, like he always did when meeting someone new. He held out a hand to shake, but was surprised when the cyborg didn't take his hand. Instead, the half metal man put his arms together over his head yelled, "SUUUUPER!" and began a silly dance, sliding to the left and the right. It was quite a disturbing and entertaining sight for Ace. The pirates laughed and soon Chopper and Usopp joined the dance. Luffy burst out chuckling with one hand on his brother's shoulder.

"My nakama are so funny! Huh, Ace?!"

"Ai. They are. But I can hardly imagine Nico Robin as someone who would act like these guys." Ace wasn't sure why he voiced the last part.

"Oh yeah. Robin's not really like these guys. She's usually just watching everything off to the side"

"So she's supervises you? Like a babysitter?" Ace joked

"Nah. That's Nami's job. And she's scary." Luffy shuddered just thinking about all the times he's been beat up by the navigator.

"Hmm." Ace left it at that not wanting Luffy to think he was dwelling on thoughts of Robin too much.

"Ace! Cleared your head now have you?" Marco walked up and handed a beer to Ace and Luffy.

"Oi! Arigato Marco!" the brothers said

"Luffy, they're preparing to lay out the meat over there if you want first dibs" Macro pointed behind him

"MEEEAT!" screamed the Strawhat, and he was off like a bullet.

"Haha, your brother is really something else" chuckled Marco. Then he went on to update Ace on some of the things he had missed earlier. Ace was listening and scanning the crowd watching everyone having a good time.

Then he spotted her. The tall, blue eyed beauty with the raven locks sat in the middle, sipping a wine glass as she spoke to her orange haired friend, whom Ace remembered as Nami. On her other side was the crew's swordsman, Zoro, holding a rather large bottle filled with Sake. He downed it with a smug expression. The blond cook, Sanji, was spinning and twirling around them with hearts in his eyes, trying to get the two girls' attention. Unfortunately, he only achieved at gaining an irritated glare from Zoro. The two looked like they were going to get into a brawl and the girls simply giggled at their hopeless crewmates.

Ace wanted to go over there and greet the rest of the Strawhats, but he couldn't stop looking at Nico Robin. So instead he studied her. There she stood, an emblem of quiet elegance too graceful and perfect for the chaotic and flawed world they stood in, let alone the rowdy group of misfits that were her nakama. The perplexing allure of Nico Robin seemed to affect nobody else but him, and for a moment, the thoughts in Ace's brained stopped swirling and everything was at a standstill. Nothing moved, not even sound. All of it, motionless like death. The laughter, the clinging of glass, the parade of music, even Marco's voice – drowned out and dissipated into air. The only thing that lasted was the thumping in Ace's chest. It pulsated through his body and into the world in a resounding echo that kept on going like it was trying to fill the entire void of the universe. It was the only thing he was conscious of. That, and the image of her face. A beautiful complexion masked by an enigmatic expression enticing you to wonder and leave you stumped.

His eyes followed her as she placed her glass down, excused herself from her now tipsy crewmates, and walked towards side of the ship. She turned to look at the ocean and Ace can no longer see her face. He watched her bring her hands around her elbows as she moved to rest on the railing, a motion that might have told other people that it was chilly outside. But to Ace, it was a sad motion that made it look as if she was trying to hold herself together. And though he hadn't actually met her yet, he felt like he could read her in ways his brother couldn't, and he had barely begun the first chapter.

He couldn't figure out why, but he wanted nothing more than to fill the space that was in between them. He wanted to fill the void of sadness, of grief, of his pain and hers. And more than anything, he wanted to fill the 20 feet of nothing standing in between them, that space from the railing where she stood to his spot next to Marco - that space that is keeping them separate in this moment like a boulder he doesn't feel strong enough to push out of the way.

He began wondered how long he'd been starring. Apparently, it was long enough for Marco to notice.

"Somebody sees something he likes." Marco's commented, pulling Ace from of his gaze. When Ace turn to look at his friend, he was met with a rather irritating smirk.

"What?" Ace said with a tone of annoyance as he looked away from Marco trying to seem interested in the drinking competition that begun in front of him.

"I've never known the fearsome Fire Fist Ace to go ga-ga over a pretty girl."

"I'm not going ga-ga. I was just looking over there to survey that Luffy made the right choice in choosing his nakama."

"Soooo, you were checking her out"

"No! I just haven't met her yet, and I was just thinking of going there to introduce myself. You know, to be polite."

"So, instead of just going there and saying 'Hi, I'm Ace' you had to think about it while goggling at her backside for 5 minutes."

"I was not goggling! I'm not interested in Nico Robin. I don't even know her and it's not like she's that great."

"Well, she was good enough for your brother to risk challenging the world government to get back."

"Luffy does crazy things. He cares about everybody."

"Well, if you're not going to offer her a drink, then I will." Marco winked at his friend before walking towards the dark haired beauty.

 _Whatever. If Marco wants her, then he can have her_ , thought Ace. But he wanted to talk to her. He couldn't shake those old feelings of anger and sadness off of him since that afternoon, and somehow he had concluded that she would be the one person that may be able to set his mind at ease, having gone through a similar ordeal. He wanted to know more about her story. All he wanted was a conversation with the quiet beauty, but he couldn't bring himself to walk over there, and now Marco was ruining his chances of getting her attention. Ace watched from afar at Marco and Robin, noting that she had accepted Marco's drink and was giggling at something he said. _Dang it Marco…_


	2. Chapter 2: An Evening

_A/N: Here's chapter 2 guys! Enjoy_

 _Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece nor any of the characters._

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Chapter 2: An Evening's Reflection

Robin stood there against the railing and stared at the still water reflecting the moon. It had been a long day for the young archeologist. She hasn't had a moment to herself since she came out of her bedroom early this morning, and it was nice to finally have a few moments to enjoy the night air on her own. Thinking back on everything that had transpired at Enies Lobby brought a small smile to Robin's lips. _I can't believe Captain-san and everyone would risk so much for me. They make me I feel like I belong somewhere now…_ Her eyebrows furrowed slightly. _So why can't I get rid of this feeling? Why do I still wake up afraid?_

For the last couple weeks, Robin struggled restlessly in her sleep. She would wake up and find Nami running into the room with a concerned expression having heard her scream. Each time the navigator inquired about the dreams, Robin would wave it off saying that she didn't remember. Robin was able to keep her nightmares a secret from the rest of the crew besides Nami, until a few nights ago.

Luffy had been walking along a hallway near her room in a sleepy haze, after just taken a midnight trip to the little-boy's room. Hearing an alarming scream that emanated from his nakama's room, Luffy jumped into action thinking that CP9 had come back to take Robin away. Using his Gomu Gomu no Pistol attack, Luffy punched the door down, the noise bringing Robin out of her nightmare with a jolt. The loud ruckus woke the rest of the crew up as well, everyone hurrying to the scene ready for battle. In their jammies, the crew found their Captain standing in Robin's room staring at the dark haired girl, who was hugging her purple blanket with an uneasy expression on her face. Before anybody could say anything, Luffy raised his hand up with his back turn towards them.

"Everything is fine. Can you just leave Robin and me alone for a few minutes?" Luffy asked.

Nami tried to object, "But Luffy, she-"

She was cut off as the captain turned to face them. He shot them a smile and then waved them off to their rooms. Everyone walked away hesitantly, leaving the girl with their Captain. The short silence that ensued was causing Robin to feel awkward. She began,

"Captain-san. I'm okay. I just had a bad dream, is all. You can go back to sleep."

"I know." Luffy regarded her with a look of understanding and compassion.

Robin stared into her captain's kind and child-like eyes.

"Then why are you still standing here?" her voice barely a whisper.

"Because I promised to protect you." The answer was simple. "And because I'm your captain and you're my nakama," he concluded. Robin always knew Luffy had a big heart for people. She knew her captain was a caring and determined person, despite his childish behavior. But she was shocked to hear the responsibility such as a captain's charge over his crew be simplified with such humble clarity. Robin hadn't respond to his words, so he merely grinned his babyish grin, and walked over to sit at the end of her bed, cross-legged like a kid.

"It's my job to take care of my nakama, Robin. Whether it's nightmares or secret agents sent by the government, I'm there for my friends."

Smiling, Robin nodded to her captain, thankful for his care and security.

"Now sleep. I'll stay here and keep you company in case you have another nightmare."

"Arigato Captain-san"

Robin had been grateful for Luffy's presence that night, but she knew she couldn't keep relying on her crewmates to care for her every evening. She didn't want this to be their burden. As much as possible, Robin would try not to talk to them about her fear or her dreams, not wanting them to worry.

So last night, when another nightmare robbed Robin of her sleep, she kept it to herself. She had woken up in a cold sweat. Panting heavily, she placed a hand over her chest calming her breathing. She dabbed her cheek lightly with her other hand. Robin looked at her delicate fingers, dampened by tears. She stared into the darkness of the room and listened for footsteps. Silence… Nobody heard anything, which means she didn't scream this time. Bringing her legs together, Robin coddled the blankets around her and sniffled. She laid back down, her head meeting the pillow with a airy thud. Covering her face with her hands, she silently wept till the chillness of dawn called her out of bed.

As she continued to dwell on the terrors of the previous night on the deck of Whitebeard's ship, Robin noticed her hands were shaking. She quickly brought them up around her elbows to stop them. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _I have to calm down. I'm safe now. I'm with Luffy and he will protect me. I have nothing to fear from anybody anymore._

"It's chilly tonight isn't it?"

Robin opened her eyes and turned towards the direction the comment came from. She was faced with a man who had a small batch of yellow hair on his head and the mark of Whitebeard tattooed across his chest. Robin nodded to the man.

"I'm Marco"

"I know who you are. You're the 1st division commander with the rare mystical zoan devil fruit."

Marco whistled, "Wow. You know everything don't you."

Robin smiled, "You have a high position in a powerful pirate crew. I'm sure everyone knows."

"That's true," Marco grinned, "Here, I brought you a drink." He handed her a beer, which she accepted with a thankful nod. Marco then tilted his head to one side and regarded her with a crooked smile. Taking note of his gaze, Robin quirked an eyebrow up.

"Is something the matter Marco-san?"

"It's nothing. I'm just admiring how lovely you look under the moonlight."

Robin giggled, "I think maybe you've had a little too much to drink if that's the line you're going with"

"That was a bit cheesy, wasn't it. I should of known you're too classy for that one."

"Plus, I'm not nearly drunk enough to fall for a move like that," joked Robin.

"So the infamous Nico Robin has a sense of humor." Marco smiled seeing that the usually stoic and secretive woman was now loosening up.

"If you catch me on a good day."

Robin sipped her beer and set her eyes back towards the ocean. Marco turned the same way she did and leaned on the railing, both hands holding his beer.

"I really did mean it though. You look lovely, and it's a wonder that none of my other crewmates are over here trying out one of their cheesy pick up lines."

"I think your crewmates are a bit wary of me. I don't exactly have a reputation for being the most trustworthy person. Plus, I don't think many people want to associate themselves with someone who is believed to be the Demon Child of Ohara." Robin looked down, obviously saddened by the title the government placed on her many years ago.

Marco noticed her frown. Attempting to cheer her up, he says, "Well I'm talking to you. And I can think of at least one other nakama of mine who wants to talk to you too. Maybe even more than me."

"Really, and who may that be?" Robin inquired slightly surprised.

"My good buddy, Portgas D. Ace"

"Captain-san's brother?"

Marco nodded with a smile.

"If that's true, then where is he? Captain-san has been talking about him rather excitedly for awhile now and I've yet to meet him."

"Well… He's feeling a bit shy" Marco explained, unsure of how to describe Ace to Robin.

"That's surprising to hear. From the way Captain-san describes him, I've always pictured the powerful Fire Fist Ace as a mixture of confidence and charm wrapped in a cocky smile."

"Well, he is that for sure," Marco agreed chuckling, "But, he's acting a bit different tonight. I think he's been struggling with something."

"Oh? Did he say something to you?"

"Men don't talk about their feelings Robin. I guess that's the same reason why I haven't asked him about it. We can be a bit prideful that way."

Robin simply nodded, understanding Marco's words.

"Robin, we've only just met, and I'm in no position to ask you for anything. But…"

Marco paused, unsure if he should continue with his request. Robin simply stared, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"I made it seem like I was coming over here to try and whisk you away with my charm, since he didn't look like he was going to. But I know Ace really wants to talk to you. And whatever he's struggling with, I think you're probably in a better position to help him than I am."

Robin looked straight into Marco's firm and pleading eyes. Fumbling for a response in her brain, she grasped at nothing. How can she help a man with some deep distress when she herself was at a loss, unable to resolve her own mental difficulties, her dreams continuing to whirl around in a state of havoc evening after evening.

Hearing no response, Marco apologized. "I'm sorry I asked for such a big favor. I shouldn't place that burden on you," Marco quickly reprimanded himself for pushing the girl.

"No. Don't be sorry. You obviously care greatly for your friend. I just don't know how I can be of any help. I would love to try."

"Thanks for saying that, but you don't have to. Although… I wasn't lying when I said he really wants to meet you. Maybe just talking to you will help him with whatever it is he's going through."

"Maybe."

"I feel that I've intruded enough. I'll leave you to enjoy the festivities."

Marco gave her a small smile and walked off towards the big table of food, where Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were practically inhaling plates of delectable desserts. Robin watched cheerfully at her crew enjoying the delicious food for a few moments. Then she moved to look around taking in all the merriment of the party in front of her. Her eyes finally stopped as she spotted the subject of her earlier conversation.

Ace was sitting across another Whitebeard pirate with a barrel in between them. He had clearly been challenged to an arm wrestling match. Noting the arrogant smirk on his face that accentuated his right dimple as he stared challengingly at his opponent, Robin couldn't help but smile. Tilting her head ever so slightly, Robin watched the competition from afar. The match started and the two pirates were locked hand in hand. Ace's eyelids beamed with confidence, while a bead of sweat ran down his opponent's forehead. Running her eyes over Ace's hunched form, she realized he was the only one out of all the pirates that wasn't wearing a shirt. A shiver run down her back as she wonder how the young pirate can walk around like that and not feel cold. She couldn't help but stare, lips slightly parted as she regarded Ace's smoothly shaped arms. Robin watched the tattoo on his tricep flex as Ace twisted his opponent's arm and slammed it against the wood with a loud thud. A triumphant roar rang out from the group of pirates surrounding the match. Ace quickly jumped up with two arms raised in the air and started whoo-ing charismatically at his small victory. Walking in a circle, Ace glinted at his mates high-fiving each of them. Through a small gap in the mist of the congratulatory high-fives, Ace's eyes found Robin looking in his direction.

 _Oh no, he caught me staring at him._ Robin quickly turned her face away.

 _Was she looking at me?_ Ace thought. _She's looking away now but I was sure she was facing me just a second ago._ He frowned at the thought that she wasn't paying attention to him anymore _. I can't keep acting like this. I'm charming and cool, right? I'm not going to lose my nerve because of a girl. Plus, I have to introduce myself eventually. It'd be rude of me to ignore Luffy's nakama like that._

Taking a deep breath, Ace resolved that this would be the time to go over there. Just as he was about to take his first step towards the lonely girl, he was stopped in his tracks. Someone had beat him to it.

"Robin!" Nami ran to Robin and grabbed onto her arm.

"You've been having fun," Robin giggled regarding her friend's tipsy state.

"Come on! They're about to start another drinking competition! Both Zoro and I are going to be a part of it. I bet you I can beat that marimo!" Nami started pulling Robin over to where Zoro and a few Whitebeard Pirates were already sitting, each with various jugs of beer and sake laying around them.

"Ok ok, I'm coming" Robin chuckled, holding Nami up as she tried to keep the drunken navigator from falling over.

In a moment of weakness, Robin glanced behind her and found Ace watching her be pulled away by her friend. Their eyes met and Robin almost couldn't catch her breath. _He's looking at me…_ She thought. The dark color in Ace's eyes bore into her and she thought she saw a hint of disappointment in those black pools. Ace shot her a small smile, as if to say: _It's okay. There's all the time left in the world for me to know you._ With that thought, Robin turned back to her friend, waiting for the moment when she'll finally have the chance to figure out the fascination that is Portgas D. Ace.

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 _A/N: Muhahaha! Sorry, but once again Ace missed his chance to talk to Robin! Don't worry, they'll have time to themselves soon (I hope... I haven't exactly planned it all out yet)... On another note, isn't Luffy such a sweetheart?! :DDDDD_


	3. Chapter 3: Where To Go

A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you to the people who reviewed the last two chapters! You guys are awesome and it's great to get feedback! Here is Chapter 3! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own one piece nor the characters.

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Chapter 3: Where To Go

To everyone's surprise, Nami won the drinking game. She was still chugging down a jug of beer when the last of her competition collapsed on the floor unable to keep up with the redhead. Zoro may have stood a chance against her, if Sanji hadn't knocked into him while spinning around yelling, "Go Nami-Swan!" The Swordman's anger got the better of him of course and he left the contest to tussle with the cook.

Now, all the Strawhats sat at the large table, mingling with the other pirates as they feasted on dishes of takoyaki and rice balls. Everyone snickered at Luffy's rice ball impressions of Zoro and Sanji. Sitting in between Nami and Chopper, Robin joined in and laughed merrily at the comical captain.

Just as Robin was about to pop another takoyaki into her mouth, a piece of paper fell onto her lap. Robin looked around but found no clue as to who had dropped it. Unfolding the paper, she read the message:

 _The poneglyph is in the forest. Why don't you come and find it - Alone._

 _I'll be waiting for you, Nico Robin._

 _A poneglyph! Someone has it and is using it as leverage!_ Robin wasn't about to let this opportunity to decipher another ancient writing slide, especially if it's in danger of being destroyed. Clasping the paper tightly, Robin thought anxiously about her next course of action. Creasing her eyebrows in deep thought, she look around at her crew. _Should I tell them about this? These are the people who risked their lives saving me only a few weeks earlier. How can I betray their trust by keeping this secret from them? But, if I do say something, then they'll only want to come with me. Then whoever sent this might really destroy the poneglyph. I can't let that happen. It was my mother's dream to find out everything about the void century, and she's gone now. It's my duty to carry on her legacy. This is my inheritance. I can't put that on the line._

Getting up from the table, Robin excused herself from the merry crew saying she was going to take a breather. Walking off to the side, she climbed off the ship and made her way along the beach towards the ominous shadows in the distance that was the island's forest.

Ace was sitting on the floor, having a drink with Marco, when he saw Robin climb down the ladder attached to the side of the ship.

"I think I've had enough to drink for now, man. I'm going to sober up a bit, maybe get some fresh air," Ace excused himself.

Putting his drink down, Ace got up and made his way over to where Robin had disappear. Squinting into the darkness, he saw a small figure walking along the shoreline of the beach. Figuring that's probably Robin, Ace jumped off the ship deciding to follow her. He wondered why she was out there.

Robin trotted along the sand determined to get to the forest. The note had set an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Robin's desperation with finding the poneglyph and the unknown sender clouded her mind and perhaps her better judgment. She knew that there was a chance this may be a trap. But at the moment, she didn't care. She only wanted to get to the forest and fight whoever it was that challenged her so she can be a step closer to fulfilling her mother's dream.

The further along she walked, the rougher the sand became. The path to the forest began to curve and twist, so much that Robin found it harder to navigate between the boulders of ocean carved rocks. Robin was almost at the entrance of the forest when she paused for a moment to look behind her. Suddenly, she realized her complete aloneness in this situation. None of her crew knew where she was nor what she was about to get herself into, and the ships in the distance seemed so isolate and fragile. The Thousand Sunny and Whitebeard's Ship was a tiny speck of light, floating over the murky water that blended with the night sky into obscurity. To her, it looked like a small firefly, hovering in the blackness, its small light an insignia of joy and hope, completely separate from her.

Robin turned her attention back to the path in front of her and stared up at the vast forestry she was about to enter. The overwhelming mass of vegetation that seemed to run wild over the land towered over her small form. It made her feel tiny and weak and she hated the feeling of vulnerability. Her legs became stiff, and a heavy sense of foreboding weighed on her chest. It was like walking into the mouth of a deadly beast and for a second, she wondered if she had done the right thing coming here alone. Then the doubts and questions kept on coming. She thought about what she would do when she made in to the forest. _How will I know where to go? The note hadn't mentioned how to navigate through this heap of trees. This has all the makings of a trap, but what can I do when I've already made it this far?_ Suddenly, she spotted a piece of small white paper pinned to a tree with a knife. She pulled the knife out and read the note: _Follow the narrow path._

Little did she know, Ace had followed her all the way to the entrance. Hiding atop one of the boulders, he watched her. She had been standing there for quite awhile. Ace thought he ought to make his presence known, but he shook his head opting that it was better to find out what she was doing first. He saw her look back at the ships in the distance. He looked back too. They had come a pretty long way away. The ships hardly resemble ships, but more like a white dot in the distance. By the time Ace turned his head back to Robin, she had already disappeared. _She must have gone into the forest. I have to pay more attention or I'm going to lose track of her._ Ace hurried and made his way off the boulder and towards the entrance. He wandered along for a while not having found Robin yet. The path became more obscure and the leaves of the trees became thicker the deeper he walked. _Where did Robin go?_

Robin followed the narrow path until she came into a small clearing. She looked around and in the mist of shrubs Robin saw a man size hole with vines that twisted around into an arch over the opening. _There seems to be another path across this clear area,_ she thought. She took a step towards the opening but stopped, suddenly alert. The air around her feet became thick and a black, sickly vapor began to gather together. A giant form burst from the layer of icky fog and took the shape of a creature with a spiked beak and beady red eyes. It had wings that span across 10 feet and the thing hovered in the air over Robin, eyeing its new prey with avidity. Before Robin could react, the bird beat its wings together in a swift motion blowing the air around her. She felt a great sting in her side as the sharpness of the wind slash into her flesh with keen precision. The technique resembled one of Zoro's attacks, where air was made to cut like a blade. The force knocked her off balance and she almost yelped out in pain as she felt her shoulder slam into a load of large rocks.

Ace was beginning to worry that he had lost her for good in the large forest, when suddenly he spots her in a small clearing some 20 feet ahead of him. Quickly, he hid behind a few dangling leaves before she could spot him.

From where he stood, Ace noticed Robin had stopped walking. Suddenly, he saw an enormous shadow rise into view above Robin, its shape resembling a crow. The massive creature opened its beak and the noise it released sounded like the painful shrieks of a hundred burning children. The screech pierced Ace's ears and made him press the palms of his hands against them, holding his head in agony. The next thing he knew, he was watching Robin fly through the air and hit a gathering of rocks. Assessing the danger of the situation, Ace sprinted forward ready to fight. His right hand lit up in a fiery blaze, and just as he was about to jump from behind the trees and attack, he saw a dozen human arms sprout out of the crow's body and grip the bird firmly. Ace looked to the side and found Robin standing with her arms crossed in front of her and blood oozing from a big gash on the side of her waist. _This must be her devil fruit power,_ he thought. She stood uneasily, struggling to hold herself up, most likely do to the pain of her injury. She had a determined look in her eyes. Then the sound of crunching bones echoed through the forest. Cringing, Ace watched in horrid amazement as the human hands tore the wings off the raven's body and snapped its feathery neck with a loud crack. The arms disappeared into nothingness and the bloody mangled carcass of the raven laid on the ground unmoving.

Ace was completely stunned and fairly impressed. _Wow, Luffy wasn't kidding when he said her specialty was assassination. Pretty gruesome, but I guess that's why she's the famous Nico Robin._

With a stoic expression, Robin looked at the bird on the ground. Taking a breath and sighing, she called out.

"You can come out now. I know you're hiding behind those trees."

Ace's eyes widened in surprise. Hesitantly, he walked out from behind the leaves and into the clearing. He was caught spying on the girl he has yet to meet, and this made quite an awkward situation for Ace. Robin tried to stand straight and assertive like she always does but found it difficult. She placed one arm around her torso, a hand pressing down on the wound to keep the blood from spilling out. She wasn't angry, but her expression called for an explanation from the commander.

"How did you know I was there?" Ace asked.

"I didn't. At least not until after that thing knocked me down. When I was getting up, I saw a something glow in the dark by the trees. It looked like flames so I figured it had to be someone with a fire devil fruit power. And here you are, Fire Fist Ace."

Robin's tone was calm and her voice was soft. This made Ace a little more comfortable. _So she's not mad. That's a good sign,_ he thought to himself.

"So, why are you following me?" Robin asked with honest curiosity.

"I saw you leave the party and you were alone and its dark out here. So I wanted to make sure you were okay, because I don't think you should be alone in the dark. I didn't realize you'd come all the way here… and well… What are you doing out here anyways?" Ace rocked awkwardly on his heels. He seemed to have rambled that sentence out and almost couldn't stop his pace.

"Thank you for your concern, but I can take care of myself." Robin said, somewhat amused at Ace's nervousness.

Unsure if she can trust Ace with her situation, Robin had avoided his question. She needed to get rid of him, and fast. If he tagged along with her, then the poneglyph will be in danger of being destroyed. Suddenly, Robin coiled over a little and hissed in pain. Her wound was throbbing and she was starting to feel woozy from the blood loss.

"Are you okay!?" Ace rushed over to hold her up in case she fell, but Robin push her hand out in front of her stopping him before he got close enough. She proceeded to rip the bottom part of her dress and tie the fabric around her waist to cover the wound.

"I'm okay," she said with a heavy pant. She stood straight up again with confident poise, and started, "You should leave. Go back to the party. You're missing all the festivities."

"So are you," Ace pointed out in protest. "Besides, you're hurt. I'm hardly going to leave an injured girl to wander around in the woods by herself."

"I can handle myself. I'm a big girl." Robin winked at him as she turned to walk away.

"I'm going to take a guess and say that you didn't tell any of your nakama what you're doing. So, if I go back to the ship and Luffy happens to be wondering where you are, I'm going to feel obligated to tell him. I wouldn't want to lie to my brother now."

The minor threat stopped Robin in her tracks. Ace smirked at this, knowing he has her cornered. Robin turned to face him, slight annoyance uttered in her expression. She eyed him determinedly, thinking of a way out. Ace crossed his arms and met her stare with one of his own, challenging her. When she didn't speak, Ace decided to push his argument a little further. _She seems like a smart girl, so she has to listen to logic_.

"You obviously came out here alone for a reason. And you're sending me away because… well, for one thing, you don't trust me. And two, whatever you are doing, you feel you have to do alone. But I'm already here and you're injured. What if you just collapse on the ground? Or more of those crow-things pop up? You might run into some trouble and need back up! I'm not going to abandon you knowing that something like that might happen."

 _Wow, he's a pretty caring person, kind of like Captain-san._ Robin considered his words for a moment. _Maybe he's right. I might need back up. And I definitely can't have him telling the others where I am! Luffy will just come barging into the forest with the rest of the crew trying to find me, and if that happens, then I might lose my chances in saving the poneglyph!_

Ace's thoughts were churning as he watched Robin think. He imagined how hard it must be for Robin to trust him. Not only because he was still practically a stranger, but because of the things she may have gone through in the past. He remembered how hard it was for him to trust people and he thought about the secret he was still keeping from almost everyone in his own crew. So far only Luffy and Pops knew of his true lineage. He had wanted to create a new person for himself, separate from his father. He almost succeeded, but the old thoughts won't shake, because he knows that on the inside, he had the blood of Gold D. Roger. He can only imagine the mental struggle Robin must be going through right now, weighing out all the consequences in trusting him.

"Everybody has their secrets, Robin. I know what its like to carry a secret around and not tell anybody. After a while, it starts to weigh you down and crush you. It did to me. Then I found someone to help me carry some of the weight. You hardly know me, so I don't expect you to trust me with your secret. But, at least let me make sure you're okay," Ace pleaded with her honestly.

She didn't know what to say to him. The sincerity in his voice had caught her off guard and she wasn't sure what to make of it. _He has secrets too. Is this what Marco was talking about when he said Ace was struggling? How can he be so kind to me? He doesn't even know what I'm doing, and he's offering to help. Does he even consider that I'm might be doing something bad?_ Sighing, Robin resolved to just let Ace tag along.

"You surprise me, Captain-san's brother. I didn't expect the fearsome Fire Fist Ace to be anything more than just a charming brute and few sparks of fire," Robin teased, breaking the tension that had been brewing in the silence. Ace smiled, pleased to hear Robin speak with such lightness in her voice.

"Please, call me Ace." Ace wanted to knock down those barriers of formality between him and Robin. More than that, he wanted to know Robin more and for her to know him.

"Okay, Ace. You can come. But, when I tell you to hide, you have to do it. And you must stay out of sight until I say so."

"Why would I need to hide?"

"Because the thing I'm looking for is in danger of being destroyed. If whoever has it knows you're here too, then it really will be." Robin's expression was serious and Ace realized the how important this object must be to her.

"Alright, I'll stay out of sight."

Then the two disappeared into the opening with the vine twisted arch.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 3 done! See, I told you they'd meet eventually! I really wanted to show off a bit of Robin's devil fruit powers and not make her too much of a damsel in distress! She did work as a secret agent and an assassin before, so I thought I'd mention some of it! I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading guys! Stay tuned for Chapter 4.


	4. Chapter 4: Heal Me

_A/N: Hi guys! Thank you everyone who read my story. Here is chapter 4! I actually had more for this section, but I decided to split it up and make the rest into Chapter 5 (which is almost finished and will be posted in the next 2 days hopefully!) There's a lot more description, so the dialogue stuff will come more in Chapter 5! Anyways, enjoy!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own one piece or the characters!_

* * *

Chapter 4: Heal Me

Robin knew the path in front of her must be a straight one since she hasn't walked into anything yet. She felt confused because the scene in front of her looked too bright to be night. Hues of animated color had come clouding her vision in sporadic waves, and it hurt to see. Everything in the forest was moving but also motionless, and the image seemed so surreal, she couldn't comprehend it. It was like looking at a picture through a waterfall. Robin wanted to reach out and touch one of the leaves to see if it would liquefy and run through her fingers like water. She didn't try, knowing she might fall over if she did. She couldn't wrap her mind around anything because nothing felt tangible. The loss of blood had been too great and now there wasn't enough to keep her mind fed and lucid. The lightheadedness was settling in and her wound was throbbing intensely, but like the trooper that she is, Robin kept walking.

Ace strolled silently behind her. He noticed her pace had slowed and her walk wobbled a bit, but not wanting to hover over like a paranoid parent, he gave her some space. She seemed pretty self-sufficient, not even needing him help her when she was attacked by that beast. It took a whole speech out of Ace just to convince her to let him tag along, and he didn't want to jeopardize that by being pushy. But, as he watched her walk become more and more unsteady, Ace quickened his pace slightly to catch up to her.

Robin knew she was losing it. Her breathing became ridged and her chest heaved greatly with every breath she took, as if all the oxygen in the world wasn't enough. Just when she was about to fall over, Ace caught her by the waist and held her steady. Leaning on him slightly, she looked up at his face. For a moment, she wasn't sure if he was real. Her hand went to touch his cheek to check that he was really there and not just a figment of her hallucinogenic state. He felt solid enough, so she allowed her complete weight to collapse into him, unable to hold herself up any longer.

Ace looked into her face anxiously. He placed a hand on her forehead. It felt damp and warm. _This isn't good,_ Ace thought.

"Robin, are you feeling okay? Robin? Robin, talk to me."

His voice sounded muffled and distant. Robin blinked a few times but her vision remained murky and fogged over. Her focus was slipping and she could no longer keep herself conscious. Everything became pitch-black as her head toppled backwards.

Ace caught her head with his hand and placed it on his shoulder, then putting one arm behind her knees, he lifted her up into his arms. He was pretty sure that it was her wound that was causing this. He thought maybe he should bring her back to the ship so the Strawhat's doctor can treat her. But they had wandered pretty far into the woods and judging by Robin's critical state, Ace feared that there wouldn't be enough time to make it back to the ship. He wanted to check on wound but thought it'd be better to find a safer place first, maybe somewhere with water. It was a good thing that Ace was highly experienced with surviving in the woods. Gramps use to put Luffy and Ace through endurance training, by tossing them into the wild and letting them fend for themselves. It was to build their strength so they'll become better marines. Gramps hadn't even considered that his grandsons would end up as pirates. Either way, all that training now came in handy. Ace stood still and listened quietly. Hearing rushing water in a distance, Ace started towards that direction carrying Robin with him.

Soon enough, a river with a small waterfall came into view. There was a cluster of large boulders nearby. Ace looked down at Robin in his arms to see how she was doing. A bead of sweat had formed on her forehead, telling Ace her condition was worsening. Her head laid limply on his shoulder and she was still breathing heavily. He thought this was the most vulnerable he had ever seen her.

Ace set Robin down lightly leaning her back on one of the large rocks. He began to undo the knot on the fabric around her waist. The blood had soaked through the material almost completely. When he took the cloth off of the wound, he noticed the gash was now a sickly purple color. _It's infected,_ Ace sighed. Taking the blood drenched cloth, Aced walked over to the side of the river and began rinsing. Once the blood had washed away, Ace twisted the cloth to drip the excess water off. Returning to Robin's side, Ace began to wipe around the wound with the clean and dampened material. Carefully, he dabbed around the edges of the gash. As the drying blood and debris came off, he noticed how smooth her skin was underneath all the grime. Ace gazed at her unconscious form, and thought that this was perhaps the most lovely thing he'd ever seen. He looked at her face and noticed the flushed color in her cheeks, indicating the beginnings of an infection induced fever. Furrowing his eyebrows in concern, Ace scolded himself for getting distracted and went back to focusing on cleaning the injury.

After he finished, he went back to the water and rinsed the cloth once more. Then, he went about the task of gathering herbs to treat the wound. Once again, survival training came quite useful. Ace was able to distinguish the herbs that had antibacterial properties to keep Robin's infection at bay. He took the greens, crushed them, burned them a little with his finger which lit into a small fire, and then spread them onto the ripped cloth from Robin's skirt. Then, pressing the herbs onto the gash, Ace tied the cloth around Robin's waist. She laid still throughout the whole process. Ace figured she should rest a while, so he took the opportunity to go gather some food and find some firewood. Maybe when she wakes up, he can convince her to go back to the ship for medical treatment.

* * *

In the distance laid the wretched desolation of Ohara, a dead city encased in a blaze of cobalt fire - the embers flaring with icy tenacity. Robin wondered how such inferno could continue underwater, as the dark brine filled and constricted her lungs. She tried to move but her limbs felt stiff, constrained by an invisible force _. I'm a hammer_ , she remembered. Hopelessness settled in, and the tears began spilling. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out - only the soft reverberations of terror muffled out by the murky bubbles that encapsulated them. Each time she shrieked, more bubbles flowed out and up, obscuring her view of the burning city. _Robin…_ came a voice in a hushed whisper. The panic in her chest rose as she sank lower and lower, afraid that the voice would not find her again. Her crumbling home hung above her now and she could do nothing but stare up in dread. _Robin!_ the voice came again, with more intensity. Then the abyss swallowed her up and there was nothing but black. _Robin! Wake up!_

Robin jolted up into a sitting position, gasping for air. Her wrist were still restrained and she thought her nightmare had become real. Then she realized she wasn't underwater anymore and that the reason she couldn't move her wrists was because someone was gripping them. Looking up, she saw a soft freckled face with dark hair and concerned eyes only inches away. " _Ace,"_ Robin breathed. He held her wrists close together in between them. Robin realized that she had probably been screaming and tossing her arms in her sleep, and Ace had witnessed it all. And unlike the other times she had woken up from her nightmares in front of her nakama, she couldn't hold her emotions together this time. Staring into Ace's worried eyes, she let a few tears roll down her cheek, something she never allowed in front of people.

Ace loosened his grip on her wrists and moved a hand to her face. Holding her cheek in the palm of his hand, he wiped her tears with his thumb. He saw the grief and distress in her sad blue eyes, and he could do nothing but pull her into his chest and hold onto her tightly. Robin didn't pull back. Instead, she let herself sink into the hug and sobbed quietly, finding refuge in the embrace.

* * *

 _Back on Whitebeard's ship…_

"Hey, has anyone seen Robin?" the red-haired Navigator asked.

"I thought she was going for a walk," answered Usopp.

"But that was a while ago. You don't think something could have happened to her…" Nami responded.

"What? My Robin-chwan is missing?!" Sanji called out

"We don't know that for sure," Zoro reasoned. Then with a smirk on his face he said, "Maybe she's somewhere having a 'good time' with a Whitebeard pirate."

"Shut up you shitty-marimo! My sweet and delicate Robin-chwan isn't like that!" Sanji yelled waving a fist at Zoro.

"You shut it, Baka-cook! She's probably fine. Besides, she can pretty much take care of herself! She's Nico Robin" Zoro yelled back.

"But… maybe we should tell Luffy," Usopped reasoned.

Chopper started balling hysterically, "Robin's lost again!"

"Don't worry Chopper! Nico-san is SUUUUUPER strong!" Franky stated confidently.

"Oi, what are you guys talking about?" Luffy stood in front of his crew with a curious look on his face.

"Well…" Usopped began nervously, "We can't find Robin."

Normally, Luffy wouldn't worry about his nakama going missing (since it happens a lot anyways… like every episode… O.o), but after everything that's been happening with Robin lately with Enies Lobby and the nightmares, Luffy felt uneasy. His eyes widened in distress at what Usopp said, a look that resembled the one he had when Nami told him that Robin was sacrificing herself to save them back at Water 7. Luffy looked at each of his nakama's expectant expression, each waiting to see what their captain will do. Luffy's hat then tilted down shadowing his eyes, and as he stood resolute upon the deck, an aura of determination radiated out of the Strawhat Captain.

* * *

 _A/N: Stay tuned for Chapter 5! And i promise it will come in the next 2 days! I'm just tweeking a few things, so be patient! Thanks!_


	5. Chapter 5: By the Fire

_A/N: Hi guys! I know I said 2 days! But I couldn't help myself! Here's chapter 5 and there is a lot more dialogue in this one! But here is the sad part... I, unfortunately, have final papers and exams coming up, so I will not be posting for 2 weeks. But as soon as break comes, I promise I will be right back to updating this story! Sorry! I'll try to get a couple chapters in during the break so there'll be plenty to read! :) There's more Robin and Ace interactions in this one, so I hope you guys like! Please review! Thanks!_

 _Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece nor the characters._

* * *

Chapter 5: By the Fire

The campfire flickered a soft orange hue and sent bits of warmth blowing towards the quiet raven haired girl. Robin sat on her knees staring at the flames. Holding an apple with two delicate hands, she slowly took a small bite. Ace hadn't taken his eyes off her since the moment when she finally pulled out of his embrace. Neither of them had said anything. They only sat quietly by the fire eating the fruits Ace had gathered. Although, he hadn't felt it at the time when he had Robin in his arm, he was now feeling a little embarrassed for pulling her into an such an intimate embrace, and the stony silence between them wasn't helping to calm his nerves.

"I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble," Robin spoke looking down at her apple. Ace hadn't expected her to speak first, let alone hear an apology. If anything, he felt like he should be the one to apologize, but as to what exactly… He wasn't sure.

"You're never trouble."

"I make it a thing to not have to depend on anyone. You've been following me around, looking out for me, catching me when I fell, treating my wounds, and even… comforting me when…." She trailed off turning her head away slightly, hiding her blushing face.

Ace didn't move from his spot. He wanted to go to her, but it felt like each time he got closer, she seemed more out of reach than before.

"Why do you fight?" Robin asked suddenly.

She had asked this question to her own Captain when she saved Luffy from suffocating in sand before she joined his crew, still working as a spy/assassin under Crocodile. She had never seen Ace fight like she had Luffy, but she had heard enough stories of the fearsome Fire Fist Ace to know that he fought with just as much determination and maybe a little bit more intensity than her Captain. There was just something about that resolve and willpower that Robin couldn't quite figure out.

"Huh?" Ace tilted his head, slightly confused and startled by her question.

She faced him now. "I was able to spot you in the dark because you're hand changed to fire. That means you were about to jump out and fight that raven. Why are you so ready to fight battles that are not your own?"

"Who says it wasn't my battle?"

"It attacked me not you, which meant its my fight."

"If the girl I like gets attacked then I'm going to protect her."

Ace stared at her with bold intensity. He'd been slightly surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth, but it was too late to take them back. So Ace just went with it, trying his best not to look away, embarrassed.

Robin couldn't look away from those eyes that bore into her with such force. _He…likes me?_ She was at a complete loss for words and her brain could do nothing but replay the sound of his voice repeating that very sentence that just came out of his mouth, over and over until that was the only thing that lasted. Her eyes had widened slightly, lips parted as she tried to scrape up a response, her face uttering total astonishment. Her hand moved to her torso, where she felt the ripped cloth from her skirt pressing the herbs Ace gathered to treat her wound. She felt the tight knot he had tied on the fabric, holding everything together and she thought of how _he_ has been the one holding her together all night; being there when she needed help the most but had been too stubborn to admit it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward…" Ace spoke when he saw she didn't have a response, "How's your wound?" Ace asked trying to break tension.

"Uh.. It's… It's better. Thank you, Ace. For everything."

Robin finally collected her words. She was glad that he changed the subject saving her from having to respond. It wasn't like she didn't like Ace. She actually found him quite cute, and way he'd been so adamant about coming along to make sure she was okay had provoked some funny feelings she wasn't quite use to having. He really didn't seem like any of the things that she had heard about him, but maybe that's because all the stories she'd heard were all told by men or Luffy. Robin could hardly imagine her captain thinking of Ace the same way she's thinking of him now.

"That's good to hear." Ace paused.

There was little warmth to be felt now as the silence returned and the campfire dwindled into a tiny flame. Drafts of wind came and blew about faintly. Ace took another log and placed it in the flames to stoke the fire. In the corner of his eye, he noticed Robin rubbing the side of her arms shivering slightly. With a deep breath and a bit of resolve, Ace walked over and sat down behind her. Then he lifted Robin up from behind and placed her closer to him, her back leaning against his chest. Slowly and hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. His body became like a barricade, blocking the breeze and preventing the cold air from reaching her.

Ace's body heat radiated into her, Robin's skin feeling instantly warm. She was grateful for the warmth and the gesture, though she felt a little uneasy as they were now sitting in quite an intimate position. She tilted her head downward, nervous at how close they were, but she made no motion to move out of his embrace or leave his warmth. She remembered back at the ship when she first saw Ace and how odd it was that he was the only pirate there who didn't wear a shirt. She had thought he would feel cold as ice, but now she knew that was not the case. Ace's skin was hot… like fire. _Matches him well,_ Robin thought.

"Is this better?" Ace whispered. His breath felt hot against her ear. He had leaned his head forward placing it on her shoulder, both their cheeks barely touching.

"It is. Your devil fruit is quite handy" Robin's face heated up as she sensed how close he had gotten. She was thankful for her bangs that still obscured his view of her red cheeks.

"Yeah, but not as ' _handy'_ as yours,"

"So the commander has jokes?"

"I'm quite a funny person you know. It's just hard to tell since my little brother hogs all the laughs"

"Captain-san is quite the humorous one"

"He is," Ace chuckled, sending soft reverberations through his chest into Robin's back. Then his tone softened as he continued, "Robin, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Will you tell me what you were dreaming about earlier?"

Robin paused for a moment… After everything Ace had done for her, Robin knew he was a caring person. But the years of secrecy and emotional independence had build the walls inside her so high that she didn't know how to climb over or knock them down. She wanted to trust Ace, but her dreams about her childhood, her mother, her inheritance, were just things too painful to face. Luffy and the crew know a little about her background, but she didn't have to be the one to tell them. They only know that her mother had been wanted by the government, her home was destroyed by the buster call, and that she had been on the run since she was eight looking for the Rio Poneglyph, because Admiral Akoji showed up that one day and spat out her secrets. Robin never had to share any of her fears, her pain, or any other details regarding her backstory. But now someone was asking… And it was someone that made feel Robin feel safe and secure, someone who had been taking care of her all night, someone who she'd been curious about since the moment she saw him with his confidence smile, winning that arm wrestling match up on the deck of Whitebeard's ship.

"I just had a nightmare," Robin stated faintly, a distant look on her face as she gazed into the flickering orange flames in front of her.

"Do they come often?"

"Once and a while… Maybe a little more recently."

"Do you always wake up screaming?"

"Not always"

"What do you see when you dream?"

"Home."

Her answer sounded soft and final. This was the most she had talked about her nightmares to anybody, including the Strawhats. Robin didn't want to go into detail, but she thought this was a start, and she trusted Ace enough to tell him that much about her nightly displeasures. And even though Robin didn't give out much information, Ace was glad she was at least willing to say something. To him, this meant a whole lot. She wasn't trusting him completely, but she was starting to open up a little bit. Plus, Ace understood a little something about fearing the past. Ace had plenty of things to run away from himself, mostly his father's lineage. Whatever Robin's nightmares are about, its definitely because of some past trauma and pain.

"I understand," he stated with a faint air of finality, telling her he would drop the questions for now. Then continuing, "Robin, I don't know what you're planning to do next, but I think it's best we head back to the ship."

Robin had barely thought about what she was going to do, she had been so distracted with her new feelings, Ace's embrace, and thinking about her past. It hadn't occurred to her that she wouldn't be able to complete her mission of finding the poneglyph, seeing as she had started the journey with such determination.

"I can't go back. Not yet." Robin's voice was firm

"The herbs I treated you with won't cure the infection completely. You need a real doctor, and Chopper is back at the ship."

Robin knew Ace was right because though the hallucinations had disappeared and her temperature had dropped after waking up, her wound still throbbed severely. But she started thinking about her dreams, her home burning down, her mother who died at the government's hands, and the more she thought the more she wanted to continue her journey. She has live up to her mother's legacy and fulfill her dream of finding the Rio Poneglyph.

"I have to do this Ace"

"Why? Why is this… thing… so important? What are you looking for?"

"I can't tell you" she sighed

Ace didn't want to push her to tell him anything if she didn't want to. He was the one who told her she didn't have to trust him with her secret, even though he really wished she would. But he knew her barriers were up and they weren't going to be easy to break down. But he wasn't going to let her continue in the state that she's in. Robin was strong and smart, but she can't fight like this. He was going to get her back to the ship no matter what. As he thought these things, the breeze came again, a little harder. Ace tightened his arms around Robin. One, to keep her warm and out of the wind's reach. Two, because he couldn't help but feel she might slip away out of his arms at any minute because he had mentioned abandoning the journey. He wanted nothing more that to keep her close to him now that they didn't act like strangers anymore.

"Okay, you can't tell me. But you mentioned that someone was threatening to destroy this thing you're looking for. Doesn't that mean you're going to have to fight this guy when you do find it? I'll be signing your death sentence if I let you keep going."

Being the most sensible one in the Strawhat crew, Robin really didn't like how right she knew Ace was. Being stubborn, Robin was ready to argue with him. But as she gathered her words, Robin realized that she had lost sight of the narrow road she was suppose to follow to her destination. Looking around, Robin now saw that all the trees stuck randomly out of the ground with no clear path anywhere to be seen. Since she had been unconscious when Ace brought her here, she didn't know which direction he came from to get here. Ace probably knew which direction the ship laid, and he easily had her trapped and can force her to go any direction he wants. _So why did he speak like I even had a choice in the matter of continuing or not_?

"The path is gone," Robin stated.

"I guess it is" Ace didn't even look around to pretend he hadn't noticed.

"And since you want me to go back with you to the ship, I'm guessing you're not going to tell me direction you took to get here from the path"

"Bingo"

"So if you're just going to trap me into following you back to the ship, then why even make it seem like I had a choice."

"Because I rather convince you to come back with me than force you to."

There was a slight pause. _He didn't want to jump straight to force. He wanted me to have a choice first…_

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"For letting me choose what I wanted to do. Even though you technically didn't give me a choice."

"Wow. I've never had someone thank me for deceiving them before."

"Don't get use to it. And if you ever trap me into doing something again, I'll break your neck"

"I wouldn't doubt it"

Ace took a deep breath, a grin plastered on his face. Robin wasn't mad at him and she seemed okay with going back with him. _Maybe she's just too tired to argue,_ he thought. Robin smiled to herself too, glad that Ace cared so much. But still the note from the stranger stayed nudged in the back of her brain like a bug that you just can't fling off your shirt. She knew she'd have to come back to search for the poneglyph again. She just hope that when she has the opportunity to, it won't be too late. If the stranger is using the poneglyph as leverage to get to her, then she's sure that they'll keep it unharmed for now.

"I know we have to go back to the ship. But I really don't want to move." Robin breathe and leaned her head to the side, her face touching Ace's cheek.

"Me neither" Ace breathed.

* * *

 _Back at the ship…_

"Hey guys, what's going on here?"

Marco noticed that the Strawhats were huddle together discussing something. Luffy was unusually quiet and Marco felt the tension.

"Robin's missing," Nami answered his question

"That's odd. You know, I can't seem to find Ace anywhere either," Marco stated

"Maybe they're off somewhere together," Zoro smirked crossing his arms together

"SHUT UP MOSSHEAD! That can't be true!" Sanji starting pouting his lips and a river a tears poured out of his eyes as he clomped to the ground dramatically.

"Don't be stupid, Robin hasn't even been introduced to Ace yet" Nami said, but there was doubt in her voice. She had been drunk at the time, but she was sure she saw Robin take a few glances at Ace throughout the night.

"Well… I may have asked her to do me a small favor regarding Ace…" Marco scratched the back of his head.

"What do you mean small favor?" Usopp asked a bit suspicious.

"If you asked my sweet Robin-chwan to do anything dirty I will stomp on you, squid-head!" Sanji had fire blazing in his eyes.

"You guys have nothing to worry about! I only ask her to talk to him."

"Why do you need Robin to talk to Ace?" Chopper asked in an innocent and child-like voice.

"Well… I think Ace likes her," Marco stated plainly.

"OOOOH. Nico-san has herself a SUUUPER admirer"

Zoro and Nami merely quirked their eyebrows up in slight surprised. Sanji, however, was enraged.

"What?! How dare that Fire-brain try to seduce my fragile flower! AND YOU HELPED HIM!" Sanji grabbed Marco's collar and started shaking him violently. The Whitebeard pirate just let Sanji shake him out and gave him an apologetic smile accompanied by a sweat drop.

"If Robin's with Ace, then that means she's safe right?" Nami asked

"Ace is strong." It was the first time Luffy spoke throughout the entire conversation. Then beaming gleefully, Luffy said, "She'll be fine."

Then leaving his nakama, Luffy jumped off the ship.

"Where are you going!?" Usopped called after the captain.

"Don't worry! You guys stay and enjoy the rest of the party! I'll be back!"

With that, Luffy walked along the beach into the dark away from Whitebeard's ship.


	6. Chapter 6: Ambush

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. But here is Chapter 6 and I'm already working on chapter 7. So let's hope I'm quicker with that. Also! Thank you to those of you that encouraged me to continue with my story. It's hard to motivate myself sometimes. So thanks a lot! Please review! Thanks awesome readers!**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

* * *

Chapter 6: Ambush

The boy with the red shirt and Strawhat hanging from his neck, strolled along the beach thinking about what he had heard. ' _Well… I think Ace likes her'_ , Marco had said. Those words lingered on Luffy's mind as he ambled around not paying attention to where he was going. He wasn't sure what he was suppose to think of his older brother with his nakama, but the idea sent a unifying feeling into his chest. Luffy had known sadness and always empathized with those who've known it too. And though he can dimwitted about adult things such as ' _feelings'_ , he understood that nothing is better than two people who've suffered finding each other. So the young Captain wandered along thinking and knowing these things, when he found himself surrounded by trees. The beach he had been walking on was long gone and he saw no ocean or sand in any direction.

* * *

The trees looked all the same to Robin and she couldn't tell which direction they had been walking. But Ace walked with such confidence, that Robin just continued to follow him unquestioning. There was silence again and Ace had this uncertain feeling in pit of stomach. Although, he had admitted he liked Robin and they did share an intimate moment by the river, it seemed that their relationship was still undefined. Robin had never responded with how she felt, and he wasn't sure what she was thinking. All her reactions to his earlier acts of affection seemed as a consequence of her current vulnerable state, and Ace wasn't sure what to make of anything that transpired between them.

Robin watched Ace's back as she followed him. Then with the sound of a whoosh, Ace disappeared right in front of her eyes. She ran up to where he stood and glancing upward, she covered her mouth with her hand and began to giggle.

Above her, Ace dangled lightly under a tree branch. He was trapped in a net and covered in leaves. They decorated his messy hair and there were some twigs sticking out of his head, making him an amusing sight to behold for the archeologist. His arms were twisted over his head and he had a displeased look on his face.

"This isn't funny" Ace puffed, blowing his bangs out of his eyes.

"Uf uf uf uf… It's a little funny"

"Ugh… Who set up this net here anyways?"

"Maybe there's a village nearby and this was to catch someone's dinner"

"I'm not dinner"

"Oh who knows. Someone may find you quite delicious"

"Well, I hope that someone is you" Ace winked.

That made Robin stop laughing instantly. She turned away from him blushing, which caused Ace to grin. Then turning his index finger into a small flame, Ace burned the ropes of the net, and he fell to the ground, landing on his butt with a thump. As he sat there, brushing the leaves off of him, a deep chuckle emanated from a cluster of trees.

"Well, if it isn't Fire Fist Ace and Demon Child Nico Robin. Not very smart of you to walk into our trap"

"Bounty hunters…" Robin breathed.

Outlines of dark figures made themselves visible as they came out from their hiding spots, sitting on tree branches, standing up behind bushes, and walking from behind trees. Ace quickly stood up and looking around, he surveyed the that him and Robin were completely surrounded. How many of them there were, he wasn't sure. Straightening the cowboy hat on his head, he lowered it enough to shadow his eyes. Robin and Ace now stood back to back, both with an unreadable expression on their faces.

"You up for this, Robin?"

"Like I said commander-san… I'm a big girl." Robin's curved her lips upward into a malicious smile.

* * *

(Back on the Sunny ship)

A muscular figure with a purple whitebeard mark on his arm jumped onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny and strut towards the sleeping quarters. He opened the doors and looked through each room until he found the one with an entire wall made into a bookshelf and was lined with texts of all languages. He surveyed the books on the wall, and huffed when he found nothing of interest. Making his way towards the bed, he picked up the picture frame that sat on the dresser next to the bed. It was a photo of Robin and the Strawhat crew. Robin had her soft mature smile. The Captain, Straw Hat Luffy, had the biggest grin on, smiling with his eyes squinted, showing all of his teeth. At the side of the picture were two men who looked like they were trying to kill each other. One had a curly eyebrow and the other had green hair and was biting onto a sword. An orange haired girl looked pissed off and her face was red in the picture as she had her fists clenched, ready to hit the fitting men. Then there was a furry pet and a metal looking man posing for the picture behind them. The man snorted at the photo.

"Do you really think you fit in with a crew like this, Nico Robin? A hard woman like yourself and a bunch of children…"

He dropped the picture frame, the glass shattered on the hard wooden floor. Remembering his task, he took out a piece of folded white paper. He dropped it on top of the lavender blanket and made his way out of the room. The man opened the door to the deck and was met with a sword flying his way. The blade struck the door frame next to his ear imbedding itself into the wood.

"Oi oi, what do you think you're doing on our ship" Zoro stood on the ledge of the sunny staring the muscular man down with demon eyes.

"I'm more curious as to why this _shitty_ _guy_ has a whitebeard mark on his arm" Sanji stood holding a cigarette leaning against the mast at the center of the deck with one foot propped up, blowing a puff of smoke out.

The muscular man stood still and calm. He cracked his neck to the left and to the right. With a blink of an eye, he sent sharp knives flying towards Sanji and Zoro. The two strawhats jumped into the air and avoid the attack. In the air, Zoro took hold of his remaining two swords and slashed the air towards the figure. The slice missed as the figure dodged it with immense speed. Sanji came down with his foot lifted, ready to strike a deadly blow to the man's head. The man ducked and brought his own leg up to and met Sanji's kick. Both legs were locked in midair. It only lasted a second as both men jumped backwards to opposite sides of the deck. Then smoke emanated from the man and filled the air. The two strawhats couldn't see the man anymore.

As the air cleared, Sanji and Zoro realized the man had escaped. Sanji sighed in defeat and Zoro let out a grunt of frustration.

"We better tell the crew" Sanji took another puff from his cigarette.

* * *

The bounty hunters came rushing at them by the dozen. Ace pushed a fist of fire in one direction and sent a group flying off. Then, setting his entire body on fire, he took out a group of swordsmen that were swinging and jabbing at him with their long blades. He took a glance over at Robin to see how she was holding up, just in time to see 15 bodies twisted backwards by the arms that enveloped them. He listened to the crunching sounds of spines breaking while they all fell down unmoving. _She's pretty good,_ Ace thought. Robin met his gaze and winked. Then her expression changed to a scowl and she turned her body to face him completely, like she was ready to attack him. At first he was confused by her sudden change, but then he heard loud agonizing roaring coming from behind him. Turning around, he watched as Robin's fathom arms tore apart the limbs belonging to some bounty hunters that were trying to sneak up on him. Ace gave her with a thankful nod.

Robin and Ace took down enemies left and right, but it seemed with every 10 people they defeat 20 more came out of nowhere and took their place. _Something's off,_ The young woman thought. _There's too many bounty hunters in this one area… It was like they were waiting to trap us. Why does this seem so familiar?_ Robin continued to break the necks of more enemies as she wonder about this peculiar situation. Then she realized the men were all focusing on attacking Ace.

 _That's odd. Why are they only trying to attack Ace-san?_ She thought. She watch them ignore her and move towards Ace. She thought maybe she should lend him a hand, but it didn't seem like he needed it. Ace was holding himself up pretty well. None of the hunters even got a blow in this entire time, and the 2nd division commander was spewing sparks like it was the 4th of July. Robin watch as she leaned against a nearby tree as Ace landed all his hits with precision and force. The smile he had on his face told Robin he was having fun taking these guys out with such ease. It's a wonder that the hunters don't just give up. It wasn't like they actually stood a chance against two notorious pirates with devil fruits.

Robin was getting bored. Watching Ace fight made her want to get in on the fun. Her wound still hurt, but she was use to it by now. _These guys aren't that tough. Besides, reindeer-san can treat me later._ She began to walk towards Ace's fight, ready to help. But then she felt something wrap around her ankles and she couldn't move. She looked down and found thick leafy vines keeping her locked to the ground. She tried to reach down to yank the vines apart, but then two vines came out of nowhere and pulled her wrists backwards towards the tree, causing her to gasp in surprise. Concentrating, Robin summoned her fathom arms. They grabbed onto the vines, trying to break them or at least free her limbs. ll In response, the vines sprouted short sharp spikes that pricked her fathom arm, wrists, and ankles. Robin let out a soft yelp from the sharp pain and her extra arms disappeared into petals. She realized she was trapped when an airy voice purred against her ear.

"You didn't heed my warning."

Taking a sharp breath, Robin spun her head around, but she saw no one.

"It's nice seeing you like this. It's not often one catches you off guard, is it _Miss All-Sunday_ " The last part came out like a hiss.

"Who are you and how do you know that name?"

Though she kept her voice low and steady, Robin was freaking out on the inside. The voice sounded like someone was whispering next to her ear, but she couldn't feel or see anyone there. The wind around her picked up and tickled her ears, tracing through the ends of her dark hair. In front of her, a gust of wind swirled around condensing into a bulky figure with a pair of grey amused eyes. Robin kept her composure at the new sight.

"You never did pay much attention to your subordinates" He smirked. Robin kept quiet, trying to piece the information together. _What does he mean by subordinates? I've never had underlings unless you counted… Baroque Works? That's impossible. They were disbanded when Luffy defeated Crocodile. But, I keep getting this déjà vu feeling... Can Crocodile be alive? He was arrested wasn't he? He should be at Impel Down or imprisoned somewhere… Right?_

"Really? You have nothing to say?"

Still, Robin kept quiet. The man with grey eyes, continued.

"You could thank me for that cute little moment you had back there with cowboy hat"

Robin's eyes hardened.

"You're the wind that was blowing around our campfire. You were spying on us." She growled.

"I merely sent a light breeze to speed things along for you. The silence between you two was getting quite boring. I thought you'd appreciate some canoodling time."

Robin gritted her teeth in anger. Ace and her was just a game to this man. She hated being used and manipulated for other people's amusement. She remembered how Crocodile treated her when she was working for him. She had allowed herself to be made into a dog by that man all for protection from the government. She endured being played around with for years until the day Luffy defeated him.

Robin wanted to kill this guy for intruding in her private moment. But she kept calm, knowing that it was more important for her get out of her current predicament first. She looked down at her wrists. Blood was dripping from the scratches on her skin where the spikes had sprouted earlier. Looking at her secured arms, an odd thought occurred to her. _This man's power allows him to manipulate the air, so then where did these vines come from?_

"You should have listened to the note, Miss All-Sunday. Perhaps I should have been more forward. But what done is done. You're here and you brought a friend. I guess we have teach you a lesson about following directions."

"You said 'we'. I'm assuming you have a partner?"

"Well, you had a partner too, Miss All-Sunday. When you were still apart of the organization"

"You mean Baroque Works. They were disbanded long ago, when Crocodile was stripped of his Shichibukai title."

Robin tried to steer the conversation to find out if Crocodile was behind this. Who else would stage a trap like this, using bounty hunters to get to their prey. Nobody else would think to lure Robin out with a poneglyph besides Crocodile. Plus, her former boss has more than enough reason to want revenge on her. She did betray him back at Alabasta and tried to kill him.

"That's what you and everybody else thinks. But we've kept it alive and even reinvented it a little."

 _So it's not Crocodile…_

"There's the 'we' again. Will I be meeting his partner of yours"

"Well, you've already met his ability"

Robin looked down at her arms.

"Another Devil Fruit user" Robin stated plainly

"You sound bored Miss All-Sunday. Shall I come out and keep you entertained" The deep voice came from behind the tree.

The figure walked up from behind and faced her. He had his the lower half of his face covered with part of his dark green cloak and had brown hair and auburn eyes. Robin looked at the two men in front of her and felt instantly small. They looked like a powerful duo and the fact that they both have devil fruit powers made her situation all the worse.

"If you two were a part of Baroque Works, then how come I have no recollection of you. Surely, with those devil fruit powers, you two would have easily climbed to the ranks of a Frontier agent or even Officer. So exactly what kind of position did you hold?" Robin was stalling for time, so she can figure something out. Ace was far off still fighting the big crowd. It almost seems like they were trying to lead Ace away. There's so many bounty hunters, he hadn't even noticed Robin's situation and he was getting farther and farther.

"We were part of the Billions" The green cloaked man answered.

 _That's the lowest rank…_ Robin looked puzzled.

"Sometimes assuming the appearance of weakness may be more advantageous when one wants to fall under the radar, Miss All-Sunday" the man with the green cloak and brown eyes explained noting her confused look.

"But, why would - "

"Enough. This talking has been going on forever. Let's get to the playing" The man with grey eyes looked bored. His patience was wearing and he wanted have some fun.

"What do you care if I have a chat. Are you forgetting, I won?" said the green cloaked man.

"Won what?" Robin asked

"We're partners but we never like fighting together. We much rather deal with our prey one on one. It's more fun that way." The green cloaked man explained

"So, we agreed that whoever got to you first, gets to _send the message_ " The words slithered out of the grey eyed man's lips.

The words sent a shiver through Robin's body. She didn't want to know what this message was. But her fear didn't show. Instead, she looked more angry than anything. They made her into a game, and she was furious. She struggled against the vines, which only tightened around her limbs.

"Looks like she's ready to play" the green cloaked man smirked, "and since my vines took hold of her before you made contact, that means she's _mine"_ He licked his lips as he spoke.

"Fine. I'll go check on how they're holding up with the Fire guy" The grey eyed man eyed her a little and then began to leave.

When the man disappeared into the trees, gusts of wind began to encircle Robin wildly picking up leaves and dirt. Her hair blew in her face obscuring her view. She felt her lungs constrict and she couldn't breathe. Her mouth opened grasping for air, but there was no oxygen to be taken. It was like she was trapped in a vacuum sealed bubble and everything was being sucked out, leaving Robin to suffocate.

"You're such a sore loser!" The green cloaked man yelled out.

It seems like the wind guy took it upon himself to punish Robin before his partner had a chance to do anything. Tears streamed down Robin's eyes she couldn't help but rasp and gasp for air, craving some kind of relief. She still couldn't move and the vines had grown tighter around her arms and now more came and wrapped around her torso crushing the part where her wound was. She cried out from the stinging pain of pressure and gritted her teeth. Eventually the air died down and she gasped loudly taking in the oxygen.

"Finally… It's just us now" Brown eyes watched her gasping and panting.

* * *

 **A/N: Dun dun dun! To be continued... :) hope you guys like this chapter. I tried to make it more action-y since not much happened in the last two chapters.**


	7. Chapter 7: Ambush Continued

**A/N: Hey readers! Here is chapter 7! Let me know what you think? Also! I'm also thinking about writing another fanfic about ASL and will probably put Robin in it! It's still just an idea, so maybe stay tuned for that one. I'm think of making it a friendship/adventure sort of thing with all of them as kids fighting for freedom/their dreams/etc. Idk if its a good idea or not, so you can tell me what you think about that too. Anyways... ENJOY!**

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

* * *

Chapter 7: Ambush continued...

Luffy was running as fast as he could. _Adventure!_ He screamed in his head. While he had been walking in the dark forest trying to find his way out, he had heard yelling and gun shots. He figured there was a fight going on, and as the adventure seeker that he was, the young captain wanted to see what the commotion was. He just hoped it wasn't some stupid Marines making a fuss. He grabbed onto a tall branch by stretching his arms. Then he propelled himself towards the loud sounds of combat.

* * *

Ace was deeper in the forest now. The fighting was fun at first but this was getting ridiculous. He was becoming agitated, and these weakling guys kept coming at him relentlessly. There seemed to be no end to the number of duds. _Don't they know when to give up?_ He realized that he wasn't in the same area as he was earlier and he had lost sight of Robin long ago. _This is bad. I should to get back to Robin and make sure she's okay._ Ace had seen Robin take down these guys with ease, but he figured that if he was getting weary of them, Robin was probably getting worn out too. Plus, Robin was still injured. Ace couldn't take too many chances at this point. Ace roared out in frustration as he sent another fire fist at a crowd of men. He jumped into the air and was about to spin around to deliverer a kick, when something knocked into him hard and sent him flying towards a thick oak tree, causing him to hit his back against the bark.

"OOOUCH!" Ace yelled.

This was the first hit of the night. Ace got up to see which bounty hunter was strong enough to actually land a blow. He almost face palmed when he saw who knocked into him.

"Shi shi shi shi… Sorry Ace!" Luffy sat on the ground laughing. This was the second time he had slammed into his big brother today...

"Luffy, what are you doing here?" Ace crossed his arms at his little brother

"I got lost and then I heard fighting sounds so I came this way. Looks like you're having all the fun without me"

"Yeah, well it's not much fun for me right now. Look, I need to get back to Robin and these guys are in the way. You up for a little tag team fighting with your big bro?"

"Shi shi shi! For my Nakama?... Always"

Fixing his strawhat, Luffy got into his fighting stance next to his brother.

"Yosh! Let's go Ace!"

"Hai, Luffy"

* * *

"I find it quite rude when people don't introduce themselves before doing something as _kinky_ as tying a girl up"

"Heh, you got some humor there Miss All-Sunday. But, you're right. How rude of me… You can call me Mr. Green"

"I see the organization still uses those ridiculous code names," Robin sneered, "Well, Mr. Green, are you just going to stand there and stare at me all night?"

Robin kept a bored look on her face. She didn't want the enemy to see her squirming under his intense gaze. She had been waiting to see what this man would do after his partner left, but he only stood there and regarded her with rigid concentration.

"I'm just wondering if you figured it out yet"

"Figure what out?"

"Why we're torturing you."

"People are always finding ways to hurt me. You forget you're talking to someone whose been hunted down her entire life."

"Hmm…"

Mr. Green didn't say much. He only walked closer to Robin. Only a few inches of space separated the two. He didn't touch her but his body was getting extremely close, which made Robin feel uncomfortable.

"What do you plan on doing to me?" Robin breathed as she stared challengingly into Mr. Green's firm eyes.

"I only want to talk" His voice was low.

"Talk? I though your friend said you two were going to punish me"

"Mr. F enjoys the physicality of things. You should be happy you ended up with me. If he had won, you'd have been stripped down, assaulted severely, and be a bloody mangled mess by now."

"Well, aren't I lucky"

"Sarcasm. I don't remember you acting this sassy with Crocodile. It's sort of…. _enticing_ "

Robin recoiled a bit as Mr. Green leaned in closer. She felt his breath on her face and instantly tried to pull back. But realizing again that she was stuck and having absolutely no power to move right now, she could only glare at her enemy. She was shorter than him by a few inches, so she had to tilt her head up to look at him.

"You seem to know a lot about my interactions with Crocodile. None of the other members even knew he was the one running Baroque Works till near the end."

"Just goes to show how immensely clever I am"

"So tell me. Why did you want to fall under Crocodile's radar? Why hide your strength?"

"Like you, we were planning on betraying Crocodile, or more like… _overthrow_ him. We were counting on you to follow through in your deal with the boss and tell him all about the ancient weapon. That way, after he did all the work and resurrected the damn thing, we could just take it. He wouldn't have seen it coming, believing he had already won. And he surely wouldn't have suspected us, a few Billions weaklings to out do him. It would have been a piece of cake."

"So when I betrayed Crocodile, I foiled your plans as well…"

"Now you're getting it."

"So now you want kill me for revenge?"

"Not kill. Just to leave an impression."

"Impression?"

"You read the note. There's another poneglyph. You know what to do"

"And you think you can torture me into telling you whatever I find out"

"We don't need to torture you. We have other ways to get the what we need out of you. We're only showing off our power so that you'll think twice before bringing another pesky friend the next time you come out and play. We don't need the world government on our backs, and we don't need your annoying crew bringing their attention this way."

"What if I just abandon the whole thing. No poneglyph, no weapon. You _lose_."

"Now, we both know you won't do that. The lover of knowledge can't stand not knowing. You'll be back. After all… this is the legacy you inherited"

* * *

"Gomu Gomu no… GATLING!"

An array of large fists punched through the crowd of bounty hunters with amazing speed. Luffy bashed everyone into the ground or sent them flying into the air. As Luffy focused on the men in front, Ace took care of the ones chasing them from behind or tried to surprise them from the sides. The tag team of attacks cleared the way for Ace and Luffy as they made their way back to where Ace left Robin.

Suddenly, a blast of air came blowing at the two brothers and both were thrown backwards. Ace and Luffy dug their heels into the ground, trying to stop themselves against the whooshing wind. At the center of the storm, a man materialized out of nowhere. He had grey eyes and a grey coat on.

"Out of the way Old Wind Guy!" Luffy yelled

"A kid like you should learn some respect"

"Who the hell are you?" Ace asked.

The other guys they fought earlier were all weaklings. Now, this devil fruit user shows up out of nowhere and stood in their way. Not to mention, this guy looked strong. Ace had a bad feeling that Robin was in trouble.

"The name is Mr. F"

"That's a stupid name." Luffy commented

"It's probably fake, Luffy" Ace shook his head.

Mr. F surveyed the scene in front of him.

"Looks like you took out some of my boys. Well, they were only meant as a distraction. It wasn't like I actually thought they could take down pirates of your caliber"

Now Ace was really getting worried.

"What do you mean _distraction_?"

"Well, my partner and I needed to keep you busy while we have a little fun with Miss All-Sunday"

"Miss.. Who?" Ace looked confused

"He means Robin! That's what they called her when she worked as an assassin" Luffy clenched his teeth. He didn't know what was going on, but he remembered enough about Baroque Works to know that these guys were bad news.

"We have to get to her NOW Luffy!" Ace yelled and started running

Mr. F wasn't going to let Ace get away that easily. He sent another wind blowing to slow down the pirate. Ace lit his arms on fire, ready to attack, but Mr. F snuffed out his flames like it was nothing but a tiny candle.

Ace tried setting his entire body on fire this time. Mr. F raised his hands in front of him and a clear bubble formed around Ace's body. Then he minimized the amount of oxygen in the bubble with his ability, causing Ace's flames died out and return his body to normal.

"What happened to my flames?"

"Air feeds fire, Ace. Your ability is useless if you don't have that resource" Mr. F smirked

This guy was really getting on Ace's nerves. Ace readied himself for another attack, but he stopped when Luffy interrupted him.

"Ace! You go make sure my nakama is okay. I'll take care this guy" Luffy called to his brother

"But Luffy –"

"Just go!" Luffy gave his brother his best Luffy grin.

Ace nodded and ran off. He felt bad for leaving Luffy there. He's suppose to be the big brother! Shouldn't Ace be the one to look after Luffy? Plus, Luffy wasn't nearly as strong as Ace. But Ace trusted his brother to handle himself, and he was worried about Robin at the moment. _Luffy can handle it! He's grown up a lot._

"Well, well, the Mugiwara Captain wants to play"

"Shut up Wind-Bag! You hurt my nakama."

"I haven't really _done_ anything… yet"

"I don't care! You work for that stupid organization that Robin use to belong to. And now you're after Robin, so I'm going to kick your ass!"

"You think you can take me? You're big brother just ran away. Maybe you should follow his lead"

"No, I want the pleasure of beating you up"

"Fine. Let's see what the rookie's got"

Luffy grabbed onto his right shoulder and began swinging his right arm in circles, twisting it as he readied his attack. "Gomu Gomu no…. Pistol!" Luffy brought his arm back and punched forward. Mr. F started turning in circles at high speed. A mini tornado formed where he stood. It sucked in Luffy's arm and trapped the rubber arm in the current of the wind. Luffy was struggling to stay where he was. He kept trying to yank his arm back but it wasn't working.

"You really under estimate me, huh? You couldn't possibly have taken out Lucci, the most powerful agent in CP9, with a weak-ass attack like that. I might as well leave. It's no fun if you don't go all out."

The tornado grew bigger and bigger, pulling dirt, leaves, and branches into its tumultuous whirl wind. A large shrub was pulled off its roots and it hit Luffy from behind. It caught the rubber boy off guard and he was pulled straight into the raging current of the spinning tornado.

"Hmm… I would love to end you right now Strawhat. But my task was only to check on my boys and stall Cowboy Hat for a bit. Now, I'm bored of you, so I'll save our fight for next time. Let's just hope you'll think twice about underestimating me"

"I'm not letting you run away, you chicken!" Luffy screamed, still stuck spinning around in the air.

"You don't have much of a choice"

With that, Mr. F sent the tornado blowing around riotously into the forest. Then he dispelled into the air himself and everything became quiet. The tornado eventually died down and left Luffy hanging from a thick branch high up in a tree. The rubber boy huffed out an angry breath, upset that he let the guy escape. He was determined to fight that Wind-Guy again, but right now he had to catch up to Ace and find Robin.

* * *

Ace ran as fast as he could. Unfortunately, he encountered more Baroque Works huntsmen blocking his path. _More distractions? UGH! I don't have time for this…_

"Out. Of. My. Way." The words seethed out of Ace's mouth

"We have orders Fire Fist. So too bad, you're going to have to fight us"

Squinting through the crowd of endless Baroque Works agents, Ace could see Robin. His eyes widened in distress seeing her tied up against a tree with sharp vines. He saw a tall man towering over her. The figure was leaning closer and closer to her, as if ready to… _eat_ her, as a way of putting it. Then he could hear her. Robin had started screaming from whatever that guy was doing. Clenching his fists, he ignited his body in fiery flames and dived straight into the mass of hunters.

* * *

"What do you know about _my_ _legacy_ "

"I make it my business to know everything, Miss All-Sunday" He leaned in even closer. "Just. Like. You."

"You and I are nothing alike"

"We're both intelligent. We're both criminals. We both have a talent when it comes to spying. And we're both…. _attractive_."

Mr. Green moved his eyes down to her chest for a moment and back at Robin. There was hint of greed and possessiveness in his eyes that Robin wished she hadn't noticed. She was completely trapped in between Mr. Green and the tree, and his body was pressing against her now. The vines crawled up her bare legs, half crushing her and half teasing her. Robin turned her head away from his face, but he grabbed onto both sides her cheeks with one hand and forced her to look at him again.

"Let. Me. Go" Robin hissed through her squished cheeks

Mr. Green released his grip. Using the backside of two fingers, he softly stroke the side of her face, his hands moving downward. He slithered his fingers along the side of her arm down to her torso and stopped at her bandaged wound.

"You seem to really enjoy _dangerous_ men. I mean, you did work for Crocodile for years. Then you joined StrawHat, son of Dragon. And now… you even fall for Gold D. Roger's kid. Yet, you turn your face away from me… Am I not _bad_ enough for you?

With astonished eyes, Robin tried to speak.

"Wait, what do you mean by Go– "

"I'll let you go. But first" Mr. Green stopped her mid-sentence.

Then Robin cried out from the piercing pain. The vines that wrapped around her waist had grown sharp spikes, similar to the ones that scratched her wrists earlier. Only these were longer and they glowed a bright toxic purple. The spokes punctured her skin and pierced through Ace's bandages into her wound. The glowing rods felt hot inside her flesh. Steam was now seeping out and all Robin could feel was a fiery burning in the opening of her wound and all along the walls inside her veins and in her blood. Every nerve in her body was now shrieking in agony. All she could focus on was the pain. She didn't even notice when Mr. Green stumbled backwards nor when she was finally freed from the vines.

It wasn't until she hit the grass that she opened her eyes and saw that the vines that had restrained her were off. They laid next to her adorned with orange flames that ate into their thick cutting and burned away the sharp spikes. Lifting her cheek off the floor, Robin looked up. There stood a man standing protectively in between her and Mr. Green. She stared at the large Whitebeard tattoo on his bare back and almost let a tear fall from the immense relief she felt seeing _him_ stand in front of her.

" _Ace_ ," was the last thing she whispered before she let her head drop as she lost consciousness. A pool of red was forming around Robin as the punctures in her wound continued to leak blood.

* * *

The Strawhats sat in a circle on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, with a concerned and puzzled look on their faces.

"Are you sure you guys didn't have too much to drink and just imagined it all?" Nami eyed Zoro and Sanji

"I know what I saw woman!" Zoro clenched his teeth at Nami

"It true Nami-san. There was definitely a man sneaking around here" Sanji replied. Usually he would yell at Zoro for insulting his Nami-swan, but he felt the issue with the stranger was more important at the moment.

"Well, they didn't steal any of our money. I checked the stash" Nami said

"So they weren't after the gold…" Usopp wondered quietly

"Usopp and I checked the kitchen and the supply closet. Everything is the same." Chopper said

"So he didn't take anything… Then why was he here?" Nami pulled at her orange locks, frustrated.

"Did you say the bastard had a whitebeard mark on his arm?" Franky inquired

Sanji and Zoro nodded their heads.

"This doesn't make any sense…" Sanji blew out a puff of smoke and then crushed his cigarette.

"What doesn't make any sense?" A voice asked.

The Strawhats all looked to the side and saw Marco crouching on the ledge of the Thousand Sunny.

"Hey Marco-san" Nami answered

"Why are you guys just sitting here and not enjoying the party? Did us Whitebeards poop you out? Not sick of us already, are you?" Marco chuckled, but none of the Strawhats laughed.

"Hmm… Tough crowd…" Marco looked curiously at their serious faces. "What's going on guys?"

The Strawhat Crew exchanged looks with each other, unsure of whether to tell Marco what happened or not. They didn't know if they could trust the 1st division commander. Especially if the stranger from earlier was part of Whitebeard's crew. But, if there was a threat to the Whitebeards and the stranger was acting alone in whatever he was doing, then the commander should know about it, right? After all, Marco had been pretty hospitable towards them tonight, and this _is_ Ace's nakama. Hesitantly, Nami spoke up.

"Marco-san. We have a problem…"

* * *

A/N: And that concludes Chapter 7! I'm not too sure where I want to take the story next, but I'm brainstorming ideas as we speak! So stay tuned!


	8. Chapter 8: Our Doubts

A/N: Hello. Sorry for the wait. Here is Chapter 8!

and a special thanks to the people the read and commented on Chapter 7! :) Here you go, guest and Narice! Also, thank you Acebin. I noticed you commented twice and encouraged me to continue the story. And i totally agree with you that there really aren't enough stories about Ace and Robin out there!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

* * *

Chapter 8: Our Doubts

The clicking sounds of Luffy's sandals echoed as the Rubber Boy ran past the lifeless Baroque Works agents scattered around the ground. Ace pretty much took out everyone, saving Luffy a lot of time. Luffy found his big brother glaring down at an auburn haired man. Behind Ace, Robin laid unconscious.

"Ace!"

"Luffy, take Robin and go back to the others," Ace kept his eyes fixed on the man.

Luffy looked at the blood and scratches on Robin's body. He bit his lip hard and nodded to Ace. Picking his nakama up, he left to find Chopper.

Mr. Green stood up now, having been knocked away from Robin a moment ago. Not paying much attention to the enraged pirate standing in front of him, he watched Luffy carry the girl away.

" _What. Did. You. Do. To. Robin…_ " Ace's eyes burned with fury as he spit those words out at Mr. Green. His chest was heaving from the violent rage he felt inside. Mr. Green look at Ace now.

"We were just having a little fun. There's no need to get jealous" He spoke with condescension as he addressed Ace. He decided to toy with the commander for a little bit before heading off.

" _Fun_?!" Ace's hands ignited into flames

"Don't try to act like a hero. It doesn't really fit the part of the Pirate King's son,"

Ace's scowled and clenched his fists until they turned white. Mr. Green grinned at this.

"That's right. I know your little secret"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Whitebeard is my father"

"Hm… Poor Ace. Still hiding from his dead daddy. Don't deny the truth, _devil's spawn_." Mr. Green really enjoyed mocking the pirate.

"Shut… Up…" Ace's entire body was shaking at this point. _Who the heck is this guy… And how does he know so much?_

 _"_ Why don't you make me?" Mr. Green smirked. The ground shook as vines sprouted out of the dirt, wriggling and looming over Ace. They blocked his path to Mr. Green. Ace spun around and a spiral of flames expanded forth, attacking them. Dark smoke filled the scene as the thick vines incinerated. Ace looked for Mr. Green in the mess of fire, foliage, and smoke, but he couldn't find him. When the smoke dissipated and all the vines had burned away, it was clear Mr. Green was gone.

* * *

"Chopper!"

Luffy jumped onto the ledge of the Thousand Sunny and found his crewmates and Marco on the grass.

"Luffy, where have you…." Nami trailed off.

Everyone stared mouth open at the bloody figure in Luffy's arms.

"What happened?!" Usopp asked

Chopper freaked out and started screaming for someone to get a doctor. Until he realized… "Oh, that's me"

"Chopper! You have to help her" Luffy begged

"Hurry, bring her to the infirmary" Chopper ran to get his supplies

Luffy followed Chopper through the door, carrying Robin. Everyone else just stared after them dumbfoundedly.

Luffy set her down on the exam table.

"You can save her right Chopper?"

"You should leave the room, Luffy" was Chopper's only response.

* * *

(Out on the deck)

"Where's Robin?" A voice rang out.

Ace finally made it to the Thousand Sunny and was anxious to know that Robin was okay.

"Ace-san, what happened out there?" Nami asked

"We ran into some trouble. Now please tell me Luffy made it back with Robin."

"Yeah. They went into the infirmary with Chopper" Ussop pointed to the door.

Ace stepped towards the door but was stopped when Sanji and Zoro came and stood in his way.

"You're not going anywhere until you explain what's going on." Zoro said

"How come my Robin-chan is covered in blood but you're perfectly fine?" Sanji frowned at Ace

"You can have an explanation later. Right now, I have to see Robin."

"Bro, I don't think you should go in there. Chopper's working." Franky said

Ace opened his mouth to argue but stopped when he felt a firm grip on his arm. He turned and faced Marco. The 1st division commander shot him a ' _you need to calm down'_ look and pulled him aside.

"Ace, there's something we need to discuss."

"Not now, I – "

"I know you're concerned about her, but she's a part of their crew. They'll take care of her. Robin is in good hands. And what we have to talk about is important."

Ace saw the seriousness in Marco's eyes and sighed.

"Fine."

Ace turned back to the Strawhats. "If anything comes up with Robin, please come find me"

Then the two whitebeard pirates jumped off the Thousand Sunny back to their own ship. The Strawhats weren't sure what to think at this point. The night had started so nicely. How did things become so grim?

Everyone looked up when Luffy came out of the room.

"Luffy! How is she?" Nami asked worriedly

Luffy didn't respond. The captain just walked past his nakama and made his way to the lion's head at the front of the ship. Then he sat down and stared out at the dark ocean, his straw hat fluttering in the wind behind his neck.

Usopp called after him, "Oi! Luffy, you have to tell us – "

Franky stopped the sharpshooter.

"I think Strawhat aniki needs to be alone right now."

"That means Robin's injuries must be really bad" Nami stared at the closed door to the infirmary.

"Robin-chan… I will hurt whoever did this to you…" Sanji resolved

Zoro leaned against the wall clutching his katana that hung on the side of his waist. Even though he didn't say anything, he felt angry at the thought of someone trying to hurt his crewmate. As the first mate, Zoro felt disappointed in himself that he wasn't there to help his captain protect their nakama. He could only imagine what Luffy must be feeling right now.

"Should we tell him about what happened here?" Usopp asked

"Maybe later. This might not be the best time to discuss it." Sanji stated.

* * *

(Ace's Quarters)

"First Teach, and now this?!" Ace was furious.

He had just listened to Marco relate to him what happened on the Strawhat's ship. He couldn't believe that another member of their crew might be scheming behind everyone's back.

"What is happening with our crew!?"

"Calm down Ace. There's a possibility that nobody in our crew did anything."

"Are you saying that my brother's nakama lied to you?"

"No. I'm suggesting that he may be an imposter."

"Why would someone pretend to be a whitebeard pirate?"

"I don't know…"

Marco sat on a wooden chair and watched his friend. He can see that Ace had been through a hell of a night. Ace was standing by the window, looking out at the dark sky, and thinking intensely.

"So, are you going to tell me?" Marco said, breaking the silence.

"Tell you what?"

"Oh I don't know… maybe… where you went, did you and Robin have a good time, or just… how the _hek_ did Robin end up with all those wounds?"

Ace stayed silent, his eyes fixed outside the window.

"We're nakama, Ace. You trust me, don't you?"

Ace thought hard. He thought about how Teach, a member of his division, had stabbed them in the back and killed Thatch, and about his conversation with Mr. Green. _Marco is my best friend, of course I trust him_. _But if I really did then wouldn't I have told him about my father already. Ugh! I'm letting that green guy get to me! I have to be able to trust my own nakama… Marco isn't Teach._

"I trust you."

"So talk to me"

"I followed Robin into the forest. She was looking for something. Apparently, someone was threatening to destroy this thing that's really important to her. She got hurt and we were going to come back. But, then these guys show up… And I don't know… We got separated… I should have stayed with her!"

Ace pounded his fist against the wall.

"Don't beat yourself up, Ace. She'll be fine. Nico Robin survived a lot worse than this."

Ace turned his head to look at his friend.

"Ok. What is it?"

"What?"

"You have that face on?"

"What face?"

"That face you make when you're thinking something but not sure if you should say it."

Marco looked seriously at Ace and sighed.

Then he asked, "Do you think it's weird that all of this just happens to transpire around the same time?"

"You think that snoop wearing our mark and those guys that attacked us are linked?"

"It's just a theory. We have a lot to be wary of, Ace."

"Yeah… I want to find the unworthy bastard who thinks he can just walk around carrying our mark."

"You should probably go check up on your girl now." Marco got up to leave.

"She's not my girl."

"Yet…" Marco winked at him and walked the door.

* * *

(On the Thousand Sunny)

As soon as Chopper stepped out of the infirmary, he was bombarded with questions. _Is Robin going to be okay? How is she? I want to see my Robin-chan! Can we go in? Is she awake?_ Chopper started trembling as everyone began to crowd and tower over the little reindeer. He was getting overwhelmed until Zoro stepped in.

"Hey! Let him speak!" Zoro yelled over the voices

Calming down, Chopper wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"She's stable for now. But her body when through a lot of trauma and she lost a lot of blood. I really won't know anything else until she wakes up. Also… There's something else…"

"What is it Chopper?" Nami asked

"When I was cleaning the blood off her, I found some weird markings…"

"What do you mean by weird?"

"At first, it looked like black swirly lines. They traced along her entire body like… veins. Then they began to glow and after a moment, they vanished."

Usopp shuddered at the description.

"I wonder what caused this." Nami said

"I don't know." Chopper sighed

"What's important now is for Robin to wake up." Zoro spoke

The crew nodded in agreement.

"Let's go inside. I'll make some tea." Sanji walked into the kitchen, followed by the crew.

Everyone went except Luffy. The captain heard everything the doctor said from where he sat on the lion's head. He sat stiff, his eyes fixed on the darkness of the water his ship floated on.

* * *

Getting up onto the ledge of the Thousand Sunny, Ace saw that the deck was empty. He wondered if everyone was inside, and thought he should just go into the infirmary. But then he remembered how the crew looked when he tried to see Robin. It was almost like they blamed him for what happened. As Ace thought about what to do, he spotted his brother sitting alone.

"Luffy."

Ace plopped down next to his little brother on ships figurehead. Luffy just kept staring straight ahead.

"How's Robin?"

"Chopper says she's stable."

"That's good." Ace relaxed a little

"Ace"

"Yes, Luffy?"

"Do you remember when Sabo died?"

"Of course I do…"

"I told myself I would become stronger and stronger so that in the future I can protect all the people I care about."

Ace remembered the seven-year-old on the cliff side, crying about how he wanted to become strong and how he had begged Ace not to die. It was a rough period of mourning for the two boys.

"I thought I had become strong… But I'm weak. I let that wind-guy get away, and I couldn't get to you guys in time… How am I suppose to protect all my nakama…"

"Luffy… You didn't know what was going on. I'm the one that left her all alone, and that's why she ended up like this."

Ace knew that he couldn't convince Luffy of anything. He resolved to just let his brother reflect for a while. Luffy was the captain, so it was only natural for him to feel responsible.

"I think Robin's resting in the infirmary if you want to see her."

"Thanks, Luffy"

Ace walked to the door that led to the infirmary. Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and disappeared into the room.

* * *

A/N: Sorry Chapter 8 is a bit on the short side guys. Man, things are looking pretty bad huh? I feel like my characters get more and more OOC with each chapter. It's just hard to keep them in character sometimes! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More Robin in the next one! Let me know what y'all think! Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9: Comfort

_A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for not post in so long. Thanks again for everyone that liked Chapter 9! You guys are really nice reviewers and just super encouraging! Anyways! Here is Chapter 9!_

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece (except for my OCs)

* * *

Chapter 9: Comfort

 _You even fall for Gold Roger's kid…_ The words tickled the edges of Robin's mind as she came out of unconsciousness. The wooden ceiling slowly became clear as her vision adjusted to the familiar surrounding. The lights were off and the room was dim, but the small window above the bed allowed enough moonlight into the room for Robin to figure out where she was. _Sunny Go? How did I get here? The last thing I remember was seeing…_ A creak made Robin turn her head towards the doorway. Her lips curved into a faint smile at seeing the person she had just been thinking about. Closing the door behind him, Ace walked over to Robin's bed. Sitting down at the edge next to her, he smiled down at the girl.

"Hey there" Her voice sounded raspy.

"You're awake"

Robin tried to sit up, but Chopper's bandages made it hard for her to move. Seeing her struggle, Ace went and helped her. Supporting her shoulders, Ace repositioned her pillow so she had something to lean back on. When Robin seemed comfortable enough, Ace once again sat on the edge of the bed, this time closer than before.

"Thanks"

"No problem. How are you feeling?"

"Better. My waist isn't hurting anymore."

"I'm glad." Ace smiled gently.

"So how did I get here?"

"Luffy brought you back. Listen… I'm sorry I left you there all by yourself. This wouldn't have happened if I had stayed with you."

 _So Captain-san got involved too…_ Robin thought. _This is getting complicated. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised._

"Don't worry Ace. I'm fine. Besides, you couldn't have known he wanted to lure you away."

The statement didn't make Ace feel any better. She noticed how stressed and drained he looked. His shoulders were tense and he had a distant look in his eye. Robin placed her hand over his and began to brush her thumb over his skin trying to comfort him. Ace's shoulders relax at her touch and their eyes met.

"Who are they?"

"I guess you can say they're old co-workers."

"That's all? You still don't trust me, do you?"

"It's not that…"

"Than?"

Robin paused for a second. She seemed to be reflecting on something.

"Let's make a deal. I'll answer your question and then you have to answer mine."

"Okay. So who are they?"

Leaning back on the pillow, Robin rested her head on the headboard of her bed and exhaled.

"Since I was 8 years old, I've worked for several different criminal organizations to survive. One of them being an organization called Baroque Works. Have you ever heard of them?"

"I think I destroyed a bunch of their ships when I was helping Luffy in Alabasta."

"I remember. You gave quite a flashy performance that day. An entire fleet demolished with one stroke of fire."

"You were there? You weren't on one of those ships were you?"

"You could say I was watching from far. Anyways, I was their vice president before I joined your brother's crew. They were supposedly disbanded after Crocodile was stripped of his warlord title. But, I guess not."

"So those guys are a part of Baroque Works?"

"I think they run it now."

"Why are they after you?"

"They want to get revenge, use me as a pawn for some goal, maybe torture me a little for fun. Those are usual reasons. Take your pick."

Ace's jaw hardened into a frown, but he said nothing. Robin noticed and smiled softly. _He cares…_

"Your turn"

"Okay," Ace sighed. "What's your question?"

"Do you and Luffy have the same parents?"

"Why are you asking that?"

Ace didn't like where this was going. The man Ace had faced off back in the forest knew his secret. Maybe he said something. Robin let out a breath at his defensive response. It gave her the answer.

"So it's true."

"So what?"

"Nothing. Just… I know what it's like to grow up as a child of a wanted criminal… and how it feels knowing the world hates my existence."

Ace was silent. He had wanted to know Robin's story since the beginning of the night. He wanted to talk to her, to know her, to decipher the very perplexity Nico Robin. The woman who grew up with the reputation as the miraculous 8-year old who always escaped the world's grasp. But he had not considered that she would try to find things out about him as well. He never spoke much about his past and now he couldn't help but feel he'd been selfish. He wanted Robin to open up, so shouldn't he be willing to do the same?

"No, Luffy and I don't have the same parents. The blood that runs through my veins… belong to someone who minds as well be the devil. Or so I was told when I was young."

"Hey, you're talking to the girl they named the demon of Ohara."

Ace let out a weak chuckle and thought back to the days when he use to go out and ask strangers what would happen if Gold Roger had a kid and how their answers riled him. How each word stung like a slap to the cheek. How the violent anger crept in as he found himself in places filled with the spiteful laughs of people mocking his being.

"When I was little, I use to sit by the cliffs, look out at the ocean, and think about this one question. I asked it to gramps once and he told me that if I keep living, I'll figure it out one day."

"And have you?"

"I'm not sure. Sometimes I don't think I'll ever figure it out, but then there are these moments."

"What's the question?"

"I wonder… if it's good that I was born… I didn't have anyone, and then I had Luffy and now my crewmates, but it still feels like I'm stuck. Like the fact that I'm _his_ son and that I can't stop being his son still makes me worse than everybody else."

Robin understood... What it was like to feel stuck and to always be who you were. She knew how to read poneglyphs and she couldn't _un_ -learn it even if she wanted to. Ace is Roger's son and he can't just stop being Roger's son. These were the realities that they had to grow up with and Robin understood more than anything the insecurities of one who must always hide their true selves.

Hearing his words and knowing these things, she couldn't help but feel an ache in her chest. Before she knew it, she had wrapped her arms around Ace's neck and was hugging him tightly. He hadn't expected that and his body was still for a moment. Then returning the hug, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Robin…"

Robin pulled her head back to look at him. Her forehead leaned against his and she imagined the battle between his desires, worries, and uncertainties pulling him in different directions. Her lips parted, wanting to say something. As the words reached the tip of her tongue, the door opened.

"Robin! You're aw- " Nami stopped speaking.

Nami's eyes zone in on Ace's arms, which were still around Robin's waist. It seems she had walked in on a private moment. Nami tried to walk backwards and close the door again, but the rest of the crew was already swarming into the room passed her.

"What do you think you're doing to Robin-chan?!" Sanji's eyes burned with rage. He clenched his teeth and was ready to pounce at Ace, but Usopp and Chopper held him back by his arms. Zoro was smirking on the side watching the scene unfold in front of him.

"Uhh…" Ace and Robin looked down and realized they were still embracing. Quickly, they pulled back, both scooting away from each other. Their cheeks were boiling red as they looked away, avoiding the crew's suspicious eyes.

"Answer me fire-head!" Sanji yelled

"I just came to make sure Robin's okay," Ace answered looking straight at Sanji.

"Then what were your hands doing?" Zoro asked. The comment was more to make Sanji angry than it was to accuse Ace of anything inappropriate.

"Zoro..." Nami hissed while giving the swordsman a please-shut-up scowl and turned to Ace.

"Ace, thank you for caring about our Nakama, but we'll take it from here." She gave him a you-should-leave-before-a-fight-breaks-out look and walked over to Robin's side.

Taking the hint, Ace gave Robin one last look before getting up and leaving. Plus, he wanted to get away from the uncomfortable stares. Zoro grabbed onto Ace's arm just as he passed him on the way to the door.

"Don't let me catch you trying to take advantage of my Nakama," Zoro said low enough for only Ace to hear. He joked earlier to get on Sanji's nerves, but he was serious about protecting his crewmate. Ace nodded, assuring the swordsman he understood and continued walking.

So how are you feeling?" Nami said after the door shut.

"I'm okay," Robin gave her a small smile

"Robin! We were so worried!" Chopper cried. He jumped onto the bed and began sobbing into the blanket. Robin patted his head to comfort the little tanuki.

"What happened tonight Robin?" Usopp asked.

Looking around at her crew's anticipating faces, Robin relented. She told them the events that had occurred, including the note, the poneglyph, and the men involved with her old organization. However, she left out the part with Ace and the campfire. Some things a girl has to keep to herself.

"I see. So, Ace saved you. Robin, why didn't you tell us about the note? We would have gone with you!" Nami said. She couldn't believe her friend was doing the lone-wolf thing again. After all that has happened at Enies Lobby, didn't she know they would help her?

"We probably shouldn't have doubted him," Chopper said.

"Well, it's better that we're cautious," Zoro said.

"You're too smart to not have known it was a trap, Nico-san," Frankie said to Robin

"I would have protected you, Robin-chwan!" Sanji said. "Those bastards… I hate anyone who takes advantage of women."

"Don't you have any faith in us by now?" Usopp asked. He remembered the rescue mission on the sea train. How his efforts to convince Robin that Luffy and the crew would save her had failed. He had thought that since she was freed from Enies Lobby, she would have trusted them more.

"I know I can count on my Nakama," Robin responded.

"Then stop making stupid decisions on your own," Zoro said. "You don't have to do everything by yourself anymore, remember?"

Robin's chest was filled with appreciation for her crewmates' concern and readiness to come to her aid. Yet, this knowledge of their continuous support made her feel like a burden again. They saved her from the government, they worried about her unending nightmares night after night, and now they were taking care of her after the consequences of her new venture for the poneglyph. How many more times will she pull the nakama she cared so much about into her troubles?

Nami knew her friend trusted them, she just wished Robin wouldn't try to carry everything on her shoulders. But seeing that she had to grow up alone for most of her life, Nami could understand why it was still so hard for Robin to depend on them.

"Where's Luffy?" Robin asked. She had just noticed that her captain was not in the room with the rest of the crew. _Didn't Ace say he was the one to bring me back?_

"Straw Hat aniki is sitting outside on the lion's head," Frankie answered her.

* * *

"Back so soon?" Marco called down to Ace from the crow's nest of the Moby Dick.

Ace jumped up onto the ship and began to climb up to his friend. Everyone was either passed out on the deck or asleep in their quarters. Signs of the wild party from the night were everywhere. Barrels tipped over empty of alcohol laid around the deck. Dishes sat on the food table, cleared of any leftovers thanks mostly to Luffy and his crew. Ace seated himself next to Marco, and the two friends looked out at the wide ocean, watching the light of dawn make its first appearance.

"Seems like I missed out on a lot," Ace noted, nodding towards the passed out pirates.

"You did. It'll take awhile to clean up the mess and replenish our supplies," Marco said. Continuing, he asked, "So did you get to see her?"

"Yeah."

"And how did it go? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. We talked and it was nice just being there with her. Then it got awkward."

"Awkward? What happened?"

"Her crew sort of walked in on us."

"Walked in… Tsk tsk Ace. You shouldn't do naughty things to an injured girl," Marco joked. He didn't really think Ace would take advantage of Robin, knowing how much he liked her.

"Shut up! It wasn't like that. We were just… sitting really close." Ace didn't want to share too much as he felt embarrassed enough.

"Uh huh. Sure," Marco eyed him with a smirk, showing that he really didn't believe that's all there was to it. "So I'm guessing her crew isn't too fond of you still?"

"The cook definitely isn't. I think Nami still trusts me and everyone else is just feeling a little protective right now."

"After everything that's happened last night, I'm not surprised. I wouldn't worry about it Ace, you're Luffy's brother. They know they can count on their captain's big bro."

"Yeah…." Ace sighed.

"Come on. Out with it."

"What?"

"Tell me what else has you in a slump? Look I know that a lot of bad things went down last night. But there's more you haven't said. So let's hear it."

Ace knew Marco wasn't going to let this go. So he relented and decided to seek a little advice, which was not something the overly confident commander was used to.

"I sort of told Robin I liked her when we were in the forest."

"Soooo does she feel the same?"

"That's the thing… I'm not really sure. She didn't exactly respond one way or the other. It honestly wasn't the best time to tell her. But it just sort of came out."

"What did you do after confessing?"

"I just brushed it off to the side."

"Nico Robin may be an aloof woman, but she's also straightforward. She really didn't show any indication that she was interested?"

"We had a _few_ affectionate moments," Ace's face was turning pink again just thinking about their little embraces here and there. "But, I don't know."

Marco chuckled to himself at seeing his friend be so hopeless over a girl. Deciding to help out, he said, "Why don't you take her out?"

"Take her out?"

"Yeah. Spend the afternoon together. Just, this time, don't stalk her first," Marco laughed.

Ace punched his friend on the arm and made a face.

"That does sound like a good idea. But, her crew…"

"I'm sure the Straw Hats will be too busy with their own things anyways."

"How would you know?"

"We're on a new island, that happens to have a town just a little east of here. I'm sure the Straw Hats will busy with their own errands and mini adventures to breathe down your neck."

"I guess so."

"You can just spend the day getting to know her and find out how she feels. All you have to do is ask her."

"I have to what?"

"Ace, you don't just go out with a girl and not ask them first" Marco quirked an eyebrow at his friend. Usually, Ace was so good with people, with his A+ manners and smooth talk. Yet, the idea of just asking Robin to got out for an afternoon seemed daunting. It just didn't make sense. "Look, I'll even go over to the Sunny with you."

"Fine…" Ace crossed his arms and pouted.

* * *

Luffy heard Ace leave the Sunny awhile ago. He didn't bother waving goodbye, knowing Ace would probably be back later. Shoulders drooped low, the young captain mulled over in his mind the fight he had with the wind-guy, who was still out there planning some scheme against his nakama. He couldn't shake his defeat and now felt more determined for a rematch. Nobody was going to hurt his friends and get away with it.

A figure, wrapped in a large blanket and holding two mugs of hot chocolate, walked up to the boy from behind. She sat one of the mugs in front of Luffy, bringing his attention to her.

"It's cold out here, Captain-san. I asked Sanji to make us some hot chocolate."

Sitting down next to Luffy, she draped one side of the blanket over Luffy's shoulders so that now it covered them both. Robin looked out at the ocean that seemed to stretch on forever. She sipped her hot chocolate in silence, beholding the orange rays of the sun that began to brighten the sky.

"Thank you for carrying me back. And I'm sorry," Robin said. "It seems that I keep dragging you into my troubles"

"Baka…"

"Excuse me?" Robin was stunned to hear Luffy, of all people, call her an idiot.

"Robin, I already said it at Enies Lobby. I'm well aware of your enemies. And not just those stupid government guys."

Luffy lifted the mug in front of him and gulped down the hot liquid. Robin watched her captain with a bemused smile. He's unwavering resolve and faith never ceases to amaze her. When Luffy decided he was going do something, protect someone, or fight against the entire world, he would do it without hesitation.

"Robin… Do you have faith in me? As your captain and your nakama?"

"Captain-san… Of course I have faith in you."

With a determined smile, Luffy announced, "Then I'm going to kick that guy's ass"

Robin smiled at Luffy's simple and always the same resolve. She admired his determination, but there was still a knot in her gut from her conversation with Mr. Green. That man was unnerving and she felt that he wasn't done with her just yet. What his next move was, she didn't know. She knew she could count on her nakama, but she also wanted to protect them. If he were to use them against her like Cipher Pol had, she wasn't sure how she would handle it this time. _I doubt he would make me frame them for a murder like Lucci did._

"Hey, Straw Hats!" Marco's voice rang out on the deck. Everyone came out from the kitchen, where they had been discussing something and Robin and Luffy came up from the lion's head to see what was going on.

"Marco. Ace. What's going on?" Nami asked.

Marco gave Ace and look and nodded his head towards Robin before he turned to answer Nami's question. A little hesitant, Ace awkwardly strode over to where Robin stood next to Luffy.

"We just came to tell you about a town near here. Some of our guys are going down there to get supplies, explore the island, and probably hit the bar in the town. Just in case you guys wanted to join us."

"Hm… I wouldn't mind doing a little shopping in town," Nami shrugged

"Nami-swan! Allow me the honor of accompanying you!" Sanji swooned with hearts in this eyes.

"Of course, Sanji-kun! I need you to hold my bags," Nami gave her sweetest smile

"OOhhh! The wonderful Nami-swan _needs_ me! Is this a declaration of love…?" Sanji snickered to himself as he fantasized about his afternoon with Nami.

"We are running low on supplies," Usopp said

"Super! I need more cola for the Sunny!" Frankie yelled

"Maybe I can find some medical books!" Chopper said

"What do you say Luffy?" Nami called over to the Captain.

Luffy seemed to contemplate on something. Then he looked over at Robin for a moment before answering, "Yosh, let's go on an adventure! And if we see those guys that hurt Robin, then we'll kick their asses."

The Straw Hats grinned at his assertion, each ready for what the day brings. At this point, Ace stood a little behind Robin but was still too nervous to speak, though he tried not to look like it. Marco started talking about what there was to do in town and how to get there, gaining everyone's attention. Luffy skipped over to hear about the food they had and the shops there were while drooling all over the floor. Figuring Ace needed a little more space to talk with Robin, Marco deliberately made a comment about how thirsty he was, in which case, Sanji responded by offering to make drinks for everyone. Marco and the Straw Hats followed Sanji into the kitchen, which finally gave Ace his window of opportunity.

Before Robin could follow them, Ace snatched her arm from behind. Held back in place, Robin turned around, curious as to what the commander wanted.

"Ace-san?"

"Robin. I uh… I just… ummm"

Ace scratched the back of his neck nervously. He didn't seem to be aware that he was still holding Robin's wrist. She glanced down at their hands touching and smiled inwardly to herself, then looked back up before Ace noticed.

"Ace, you're acting very funny."

"Am I?" Ace smiled sheepishly. This was harder than he thought. He's never had to ask a girl out before. Then again, he's never been this interested in a girl either.

"Is there something you wanted to say?"

"I was wondering if you had plans for this afternoon?"

"I thought we were all going into town like Marco-san suggested."

"Well, yes. But… Maybe you could- or we could- uh… go together?"

"By together, you mean just us?"

"Yeah…"

Ace waited patiently for an answer while Robin tapped her chin with her index finger, considering his proposal.

"Fufufu," Robin started giggling out of somewhere.

"What's so funny?" Ace asked, somewhat embarrassed and annoyed at the reaction he received. That was the last thing he had expected her to do.

"I just didn't expect you to be so shy. Definitely not what people expect when they look at your bounty," Robin said. Then, stepping closer to him, she whispered in his ear, "Town Library. See you at noon."

Winking at him, she walked off to the kitchen where the ice tea, specially prepared by Sanji, awaited her. Ace watched as she disappeared behind the door, a little dazed by what just happened. A crooked smile made its way onto his face as his mind registered the positive outcome of their conversation. Ace started back to the Moby Dick figuring he should rest up before his outing. After all, he had been out all night.

* * *

Robin took a seat between Nami and Marco as she observed her crewmates' loud and cheery banter. The earlier gloom that hung over everyone's head seems to have dissipated. Sanji brought over Robin's tea and she sipped it tenderly as she listened to the cook complimented her on her beauty and poise, as well as Nami's. He eventually left them alone, when Nami asked him to go make some snacks for them.

"Hey, wasn't Ace here too?" Nami asked

"I think Ace-san got tired and went back to his ship."

Marco, who was chuckling at Luffy and Chopper blowing bubbles into their drinks, perked up at the mention of Ace's name. Discreetly, he leaned his head a little closer the towards the girls, so his ears can catch their voices in the midst of everyone's loud laughter.

"You took a while to come inside, Robin. What were you two doing?" Nami asked eyeing her friend.

"We were just talking," Robin said. Trying to keep her cool and distract herself from Nami's suggestive gaze, she sipped her tea again.

"Oh… So, was what you guys were doing on the bed considered 'just talking' as well?"

Robin choked on her drink. Coughing, she covered her mouth and tried to recovery from Nami's comment. Nami grinned at catching her friend off guard. Robin was usually so cool and collected, and calm about everything. This was a nice change. Plus, Nami kind of liked the idea of Ace and Robin together. He does seem to really care about her. She thought back to the way he looked when he came onto the ship. The distress on his face was clear and the first thing he asked was if Robin had made it back safely.

"Nami, it wasn't like that," Robin said, her face turning as red as a tomato

"C'mon Robin. We walked in on you guys. Just admit that you and Ace have a thing going on."

Marco was smirking to himself now. Ace had apparently left out some very juicy details in their earlier conversation. Nami walking in on them was probably the awkward moment he was referring to earlier.

"Nothing happened on the bed!"

"Okay, Robin. We'll just pretend we didn't see you two all pressed together with your arms wrapped around each other," Zoro said jumping on the opportunity to tease Robin.

 _Wow_ , Marco thought. _Seems like Ace has gotten fairly close with Robin already. Hard to believe he was so scared to ask her out earlier._ Marco sighed and shook his head.

"I'm going to finish my tea in my room." Face still red, Robin got up to leave.

"Have a good rest Robin!" They called after her, still snickering.

Robin practically ran out of the room, desperate to escape the embarrassment. A wave of exhaustion came over her now that she was back in her room. The night's battle finally caught up with her body and she wanted nothing more than to crawl under her blanket for a good nap. She heard a crunching sound as she stepped towards her bed. Lifting her foot, she found shattered glass and a broken picture frame on the floor. Picking up the photo of her crew in the midst of broken shards, realization hit her. Someone had been there. Frantically, Robin searched all around for some clue or missing item. Nothing. Everything was in its place. Who had been in here and why? Exhausted, she fell backwards onto the mattress. Sighing to herself, Robin's mind dove through all the mysterious from the night. Pulling the blanket over her, a white object fell into view. Picking it up, Robin realized it was another note. She hastily opened it and read.

 _The Barman._

A contact perhaps? Baroque Works. They've become more stealthy than before. They even snuck onto the ship. In the past, Robin was always the one to handle the more covert assignments. Now it seems Baroque Works has hired some worthy spies. What else are they capable of? Question after question fumed inside her head until finally exhaustion, frustration, and fear pulled her into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

A/N: There here you have it! Chapter 9 finish! I've already started on the next chapter and planning a few things for the plot. I don't know how long I want this story to be so we'll see how it goes. But it might be awhile again since I plan to work on/post Chapter 4 of the Bonds of Survival story before I do anything more for this one. Anyways! Let me know what y'all think and stay tuned for Ace and Robin's outing!


	10. Chapter 10: Into Town

A/N: Did you guys miss me? Sorry I didn't get this chapter up faster. I started another story and I was losing momentum for this one. But, I'm determined to see this story to the very end (it is my first fanfic after all). I don't wanna be a quitter so soon! Anyways. Here is Chapter 10! Let me know what y'all think!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

* * *

Chapter 10: Into Town

Robin stood in the middle, encircled by green translucent flames with seven familiar figures positioned outside the fiery barrier. She watched as amethyst limbs ensnared their bodies while they squirmed against the tightening hold. The Straw Hats writhed in pain as phantom arms tightened around their necks, constricting their airways. _Those arms. How can they be there_? Robin looked down at her own extremities. That same amethyst color traced along her veins, up her arms, and around her body. It was her. She was doing this and she couldn't stop it. Then every part of her insides began to sting, like her own blood was scorching. She fell over and screamed. When it stopped, Robin gasped and coughed. She propped herself up on her elbows. There was no air. No relief. The flames around her consumed it all, leaving her to suffocate. Lifting her head up, she tried to see through the green flares again. In front of her, Luffy was still struggling against the many arms wrapped around him. _Her_ arms. Then, the crunching sound of bones she's so accustomed to rang aloud. But this time, she didn't feel the satisfaction of victory she usually did, because these were the bones that belonged to her nakama.

Robin sprang up in her bed panting. Clutching her chest, Robin felt her heart raced and beat so hard that she thought it might burst out of her body. Running her hands through her hair, Robin closed her eyes and took big even breaths. _It's just a dream. Just a dream._

The clock told her it was almost noon, which meant it was time to get ready for her outing. Rummaging through her closet, she found what she was looking for.

"It's been a while since I've worn you," she said as she stared down at the object in the box.

* * *

The afternoon sun hung brightly over the island. Reaching the entrance of the town, the Straw Hats began to separate, each pulled away from the group by some interesting thing or another. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp wandered off after smelling something delicious. Sanji followed excitedly behind Nami as she went from clothing store to clothing store. Zoro, well nobody knew where Zoro went. He disappeared within the first few minutes of walking along the main street, probably lost in some alleyway looking senselessly at a dead end. Franky stayed behind to guard the Sunny after deciding to do some tune up work on the beloved ship. He did, however, make Usopp promise to bring him back some cola to refuel the ship.

As for Robin, she had plans with a certain commander that should be on his way to the town library soon. But before she headed there, she figured she'd contact this lead that was left for her. She looked up at the building in front of her. The sign read, 'Waterloo Tavern'. This was as good as anyone's guess. _Where else would a barman be, if not at a bar?_ Robin thought.

Dimly lit, the tavern was filled with empty round tables. There wasn't a sketchy character in sight, unless you counted the few drunken bums that sat in the booths near the back with mugs of empty beer turned over and drool hanging from their mouths. What a peculiar sight this was for Robin, knowing that afternoons spent drinking were a pirate's favorite pastime. If this is a Baroque Works owned bar, then maybe it made sense. A man stood behind the counter polishing glassware with an old rag. He hadn't looked up once since Robin came through the door.

Sliding a gold coin across the tabletop, Robin took a seat at the end of the counter and gave the man with the glassware a sly smile, one eye covered by her old purple cowboy hat. Her arching eyebrow coaxed him for a chat. The Barman took the hint and look at the coin that slid in front of him. Bold and shiny, with the letters 'B.W.' etched deeply in the gold. The Barman smirked. Picking up the coin, he walked over to Robin. He tossed the coin up, and she caught it between her index and middle finger as it came down.

"Drink Miss?"

"I have a feeling you already know my usual."

He did. Setting a wine glass down in front of her, the barman took out a bottle of fine wine and poured it.

"Your bar is quite empty. Seems like you may be going under."

"We'll my _employer_ always said, 'one shouldn't trust what things _seem_ to be."

"Your employer sounds clever."

"Oh, he is"

"What other words of wisdom does _he_ have?"

"Just one other. Though, it's more of a warning. 'Those who don't do as they're told, a burning ship awaits.'"

"I see," Robin stated. _A funeral imagery… with a literal meaning perhaps?_

Just as Robin brought the wine glass to her lips and sipped, loud footsteps and laughter emitted into the room. Through her peripherals, she watched a crowd of pirates walk in and sit down at the back tables. They chatted loudly and bellowed for the barman to bring them sake. Robin saw the cross mark on the man who waved his arm in the air calling to a waitress, who had just walked out of the backroom. _Whitebeard pirates. Ace is already heading there._

"Miss, you seemed to have spilled a little of your wine." The Barman placed a folded napkin on the table. "I bid you good day… and good luck"

Then, he disappeared to the backroom, out of sight. That was her cue to leave. No wine had actually been spilled, so Robin knew that this was the item she was suppose to take with her. Tucking the napkin into her pocket, Robin got up and left.

"Hey Robin!"

Turning around, Robin found Marco running to her. Behind him, Izo and Jozu, two of the other commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates, were walking into a restaurant. Ace wasn't with them, so Robin assumed he was already waiting for her at their meeting place.

"Marco-san."

"Hey! I thought you'd be meeting Ace by now."

"Yes, well, I thought I'd have a drink first. I heard that a bit of alcohol can help calm your nerves."

Robin hoped Marco wouldn't be suspicious about what she's been up to, coming out of the bar. She didn't want to drag any more people into this.

"Don't worry, Ace is probably more nervous than you are," Marco said.

"That makes me feel a little better," Robin said, figuring it was just better to play along. "Well, I'm late. See you around Marco-san."

"Before you go, you should know something. Ace is someone who will lay his life down for the people he cares about. But, he lacks trust. He doesn't like to depend on people, even when he needs to… and I see some of that in you too, Nico Robin."

"What are you trying to say?"

"That it's okay to depend on others. Especially, the ones you care for. The people you want to protect are usually the same ones who want to do the same for you."

"Hmm… Thank you, Marco-san. I'll keep that in mind."

They went their separate ways without another word. Robin thought about her meeting with the Barman and about her conversation with Marco as she made her way through the crowded streets. _It's okay to depend on people... Do I not? Do I not trust my crew and my captain enough? I hide things to keep them safe, to shield them from harm, because they had done so much for me. But perhaps Marco has a point. There are some things I can't do alone._

Robin felt the napkin from the bar wrinkling in her pocket. Now, away from the eyes of anybody that would recognize her, she took it out and read its' contents.

* * *

Ace stood leaning against a white pillar in front of the building's entrance. _For a small town, they sure have a big library_ , Ace thought. Waiting for Robin to show up, Ace took a seat on the front steps and began twiddling his thumbs. A moment later, he felt something sprout out of the sides of his head. The next thing he knew, warm hands that smelt of sweet flowers had clasp themselves over his eyes preventing him from seeing. Then he felt something run along the back of his neck, tickling his skin.

"Hey!" He said while trying to control his laughter. He knew who it was. He heard a soft giggle and then the hands disappeared into flowers. Standing in front of him was Robin.

"Sorry, but I couldn't help it," Robin said with a teasing smile that made Ace want to move closer.

But, she had already moved to towards the library entrance. Taking a deep breath, Ace followed in after her. Robin didn't say much as she moved along the aisles, tracing the shelves with her finger. Ace stared at the rows of books lining the shelves. He was never interested in reading but being here reminded him of someone from his past. Someone who was quite smart and died with an unfulfilled dream of writing a book. Ace smiled sadly as he thought of Sabo and all the adventures they could have had together.

When Ace finally shook himself away from reminiscing about Sabo, he realized that Robin was sitting at a table with a few books laid out in front of her.

"So is this what you do? Spend all your time in libraries when you can be off exploring," Ace asked as he sat down next to her.

"You'd be surprise how much there is to explore in a library," Robin smiled. "But this time, I'm looking for something."

"And what's that?"

"This," Robin said. She opened one of the books to a page with a map of the island.

"I'm guessing this means you haven't given up on looking for that thing?"

"I haven't. And I'm hoping I can pin point it's location."

Robin paused for a moment with an uncertain expression as she clutched napkin in her pocket. She thought about what Marco said about Ace. Not just now, but through everything, she kept realizing how similar her and Ace were.

"Something wrong, Robin?" Ace asked.

"Ace, I trust you"

"That's good to know," Ace smiled.

"I mean it. I really do trust you." Robin looked at him now. He waited attentively to what Robin was about to say. "I'll tell you what I'm looking for. If you still want to help me, that is…"

* * *

(With Zoro on some street somewhere in town)

"Gaaah…. They're lost already?!" Zoro said as he kept looking around for any sign of his crewmates.

*thud *

"OW! How does this keep happening?" Zoro began rubbing his head. Now blocked off in three directions, he stood staring a brick wall. It's unknown to even himself how he had walked into an alley with a dead end.

"Heh. Not much brains up there." The voice came from behind Zoro.

A large shadow casted over the straw hat swordsmen. Turning around, Zoro saw a tall man holding a sword to the side. His face was covered but his arms weren't. Zoro instantly recognized the whitebeard mark of the newcomer's hand.

"Tch," Zoro smirked. "I'd say you're the one whose got no brains if you're dumb enough to stand in my way."

"You're the swordsman for the Strawhat's, right? I believe we have unfinished business."

"I believe we do. You snuck onto our ship."

"You threw a sword at me."

"Well, I wasn't going to invite you in for tea," Zoro said as he unsheathed his katanas.

"Thenlets settle this," the stranger said raising his own blade high as he prepared to strike.

* * *

"He's worse than his brother…" Marco heard someone whispered as the group of Whitebeard pirates watched Luffy scarf down ten more dishes from a nearby table. Usopp raised one hand up to order some more food while trying to guard his plate from Luffy with his other hand. Chopper was doing the same and even crawled under the table to get away from Luffy.

"You'd think they'd be at least a little full after the feast we had last night," someone else said.

"I feel bad for their cook."

The whitebeards all nodded in sympathy for the straw hat chef. Marco chuckled at the bewildered looks on his nakama's faces as he ate his own meal.

Unknown to them all, a certain invisible wind-bastard floated unseen above the eating pirates, and his pair of eyes scrunched in disgust at the straw hat's table manners.

* * *

(Back at the Library)

"A poneglyph… and these are coordinates to where it is?" Ace held up the crumpled up napkin and stared at the numbers.

Robin nodded.

"And where did you get these again?" Ace asked with a tone of skepticism.

"I found a note on my bed with a contact. Then I tracked it down to a man who slipped this napkin to me in a bar."

"I see…" Ace said with his head lowered.

"Ace?" Robin noticed his change in mood. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like it," He said suddenly. His eyes shot up and he looked straight at her.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't like the way these guys are toying with you." Ace moved closer to her. He brushed her cheek with his thumb. It made Robin blush.

Clearing her throat a little she said, "There's also a time written at the bottom. They want me there at midnight."

"Any chance this could be another trap?" Ace said, still looking at her softly.

"Most definitely." Robin's voiced lowered to a whisper as Ace inched his face closer to hers.

"Then I'm coming with you," Ace said. Robin could feel his breath on her face.

Too focused on Ace's nearing face, Robin didn't say anything to his statement. She closed her eyes and prepared for what she believed was coming.

*SLAM *

Robin and Ace jolted backwards and looked to the side. A skinny old woman had slammed a large book on top of their table and was looking at them with scrutinizing eyes.

"This is a library!" She began with a shrill voice. "A place for reading. If you want to do _that_ then I suggest you take it somewhere else."

"Yes ma'am. We are very sorry!" Ace bowed to the librarian apologetically. Still, he had a grin on his face. Taking Robin's hand, Ace led them both out of the building.

They laughed at what just happened as they walked, hands still connected.

* * *

(Sunny Go)

A group of men tip-toed around the ship of the Sunny Go. Having positioned themselves at the lower hem of the ship, they began their work of attaching small wired devices to the ship.

"Nani?" A voice came from above the men. Looking up, the group saw a large silhouette of a bulky figure with pointy hair and round shoulders. "What do we have here? Some not-so-suuuper intruders?"

Then there was a loud explosion from the top of the ship. The large bulky figure was knocked over the ledge and came crashing to the floor.

"Attacking a man from behind? Not very super of you." Frankie said as he got to his feet. Stretching out his arm, he shot a laser beam from his palm. The shot missed as the men all jumped out of the way.

"Get him," Franky heard a man shout. The next thing he knew, there was smoke and guys coming at him left and right.

* * *

(In Town)

"Naaaami-Swan!" Sanji screamed with hearts in his eyes as he ran to catch up with the navigator. He was carrying ten shopping bags with him.

"Hai, Sanji. Keep up! I want to look at those clothes over there!" Nami called behind her as she made her way across the crowded street. Before she could turn her head back to the front, she crashed right into somebody and fell to the floor.

"Ow!" Nami cried.

"I'm sorry miss" The man said.

The man picked himself up and offered his hand to Nami. "You okay?" He asked.

Looking up, Nami realized it was Marco. "Yeah, I'm okay," she replied.

Taking his hand, Nami allowed Marco to pull her up. Sanji was still weaving through the crowd to get to Nami after seeing her fall. He began sprinting when he saw Marco take Nami's hand. When he finally got to them, his face was flushed with red. It was probably more from seeing Nami hold another guy's hand than from the heat of the sun.

"Oh, hello Sanji," Marco greeted. Sanji merely grunted. Marco turned back to Nami. "How are you liking the town so far?"

"It's great. I've done loads of shopping."

"I can see that. Your captain looked like he had a good time too. He practically ate the entire restaurant we were in." Marco chuckled.

Nami and Sanji sighed. Both were all too familiar with Luffy's black hole of a stomach.

"That's Luffy for you. Figures they would go somewhere with food," Sanji shook his head.

"Sooo, Marco. Do you happen to know where Ace and Robin are?" Nami asked.

"Not a clue. Why? You thinking about spying on them?" Marco quirked his eyebrow.

"Of course not," Nami replied with a smile. "I'm just curious. What do you think of the two of them?" Nami asked Marco as she began to walk to the store she was headed to earlier.

Marco walked next to her and they started to discuss the idea of their Nakama being together. Sanji's head slumped down as he followed behind them. First, Robin. Now, Nami… Stupid whitebeard pirates…

* * *

"I thought you wanted to spend the day in town," Robin said as she walked through a crowd of bushes. They were in the forest now, heading up a slope.

"I'm more of a woodsy-guy," Ace replied. "Something about being surrounded by trees. It reminds me of when Luffy and I were kids."

Ace ran when he saw the sun shining through the leaves up ahead. Robin followed behind him. She could see the end where the trees stopped. Now they were up on a cliff side that overlooked the town. Ace sat down under a tree in the shade and leaned back on the trunk. Robin sat down next to him.

"I always liked high places," Ace told her. "I can see everything for what it is. I feel like I can own it all."

"It really does feel like we're on top of everything."

Robin leaned into Ace and they sat there for a few quiet moments, taking in the view and feeling the cool breeze. A few strands of Robin's hair blew into his face and the scent tickled his nose. She smelled like sweet flowers and it reminded him of springtime. Their hands on the ground inched closer and closer together until their fingers were brushing. Ace's heart was pounding so quickly at this point that he was afraid Robin might hear it. Slowly he turned his head towards her. And when Robin looked at him too, he almost drowned in those blue, blue eyes. Ace began to lean his face closer to hers as if he was being pulled by some unknown force. Their noses touched and he thought, _this is it_. This is the moment. Right as Ace leaned in for the kiss, he suddenly became alert. He pulled Robin to the ground and placed his body over her just as an arrow hit the tree behind them.

"Are you okay?" Ace asked as he propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her.

"Yeah," she breathed. "Thanks."

"No problem," Ace replied.

Their faces were so close together. _Just one peck_ , he thought. But it wasn't a good time. Ace got off her and pulled her up. Robin yanked the arrow off the tree and threw it on the ground. She had her fists clenched and Ace could tell she was angry. He pulled her in and hugged her.

"We'll get them," he said.

"I hate it. Why can't they leave me alone?" she said with her face buried in his shoulder.

"I know. But don't worry. Those guys will have to go through me if they want you. I won't let them use you."

After the embrace, Ace and Robin made plans to go find theponeglyph at nightfall.

* * *

"Oi! Franky! I have your cola!" Usopp called out as he reached the Sunny Go, carrying with him a large barrel filled with soda.

Usopp had promised Franky to get him cola to refuel the ship when he left this morning with Luffy and Chopper. After the huge meal at the restaurant, Usopp went about the task of obtaining the fizzy liquid while Chopper went to look for medical supplies, and Luffy wandered off somewhere looking for adventure, which also meant trouble.

"Franky?! You there?" Usopp called out again after not hearing a response from the cyborg.

Finding it odd that Frankie wasn't answering, Usopp climbed onto the ship. His eyes widened with distress when he saw Franky laying face down on the deck of the ship, unconscious. Parts of his body looked scratched up. His blue hair, which was usually styled up and full of shine, looked drab and flat. _He must have used up all his cola when he fought. Was it those Baroque's people who attacked Franky?_ Usopp wondered. Usopp flipped Franky onto his back and slowly dragged him into the infirmary. He placed Franky onto a patient bed, then dashed out to find Chopper.

 _Hold on there, Franky! I'm getting help!_

* * *

 _A/N: and that concludes Chapter 10! Hope you enjoyed it!_


	11. Chapter 11: To Save You From Me

A/N: Hello. Sorry for not posting for so long. Here is Chapter 11. I realized that my plot became very scattered, so I wanted to go back to focusing more on the main couple. So I hope it's still good! Thank you for the people who are still reading and are still following. And thank you for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't know One Piece. So sad...

* * *

 **Chapter 11: To Save You From Me**

Robin and Ace spent the entire afternoon sitting on that hill. They didn't talk much. Just enjoyed the view and the silence. When they did talk they joked about what kind of trouble Luffy must be causing and how they both ended up joining the crews they were in. After a while, Ace dozed off and Robin was left alone with her thoughts.

She hadn't been acting like herself lately, she realized. There weren't many things that could make Nico Robin uneasy, and she didn't like what an easy target she's been. Every move they've made so far made her feel like a toy and she hated it. A deep sigh escaped her lips and she closed her eyes. She wondered where everyone else was. The arrow was a warning. That much she knew.

What Robin didn't know about the battles happening at the moment. She didn't know that Zoro was still locked in a fight with the strange man that snuck onto the ship. She didn't know that Frankie was unconscious nor that Usopp still hasn't found Chopper. And she wasn't aware that Luffy was about to be cornered by Mr. F outside of town.

The sky dwindled down to a somber orange hue. Robin took off her purple cowboy hat and looked out over the city, tilting her face up to capture the last bits of warmth before the sun completely disappeared.

 _At least there's still something good_ , she thought. _Ace.._. Robin turned and looked at the sleeping boy. Ace looked so completely at peace in his slumber, she was almost envious. If only she could sleep as soundly as Ace then maybe she'd feel less tense all the time. His bright orange cowboy hat covered his face and his chest moved slowly and softly with each breath. She almost giggled at how their hats matched. Maybe that's why she chose to wear it. Or maybe she felt like she needed to remind herself of the person she used to be. She'd assume that reconnecting with her time at Baroque Works might help her figure something out, but she's changed so much since joining the Strawhats. She just didn't think the same way. It was hard doing anything to help herself that didn't involve hurting someone. It was so much easier before. She'd find a place to stay awhile and when the time came, she'd cut ties with everyone and run away without a second thought. It didn't matter who got in the way back then. Robin let out a tired sigh.

"And just when I thought we were having a pretty nice time."

Robin's lifted her eyes. Ace propped himself up on his elbows and his orange cowboy hat fell and laid lopsided over her purple one next to him. He had a crooked grin on.

Robin smiled. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"I just woke up. Sorry, I dozed off. I tend to do that a lot. Sometimes I don't even remember when it happens," Ace said, scratching his neck awkwardly.

Robin laughed. "Sounds familiar." She thought of the few times Luffy fell asleep in the middle of a conversation with someone or when he was being yelled at. "What?" Robin asked when she noticed Ace's funny look.

"Nothing. I just like the way you laugh," Ace answered.

"Oh really," Robin grinned, slightly flushed by the comment.

"Really. You should do that more often. Instead of sighing like the battle has already been won. Which it hasn't," Ace pointed out.

He had a point. She'd fought all her life and now she felt tired. But she had people to fight with her and Ace was a calming presence in the midst of everything. Robin nodded in affirmation.

"The sun is setting," she pointed out. They watched the last rays of light slowly disappeared behind the horizon and the sky turned to a dull blueish-grey.

Robin stood up brushing herself off. She picked up Ace's hat and tossed it over to him then placed her own on her head. Nodding a thank you, Ace asked, "You ready?"

Her lips curved slightly into a sly flirtatious smirk that can only belong to the ever composed Nico Robin. Saying nothing, she began walking towards the heap of trees that leads back into the forest. Ace smiled, tipped his hat up, and followed suit. _Now that's the Nico Robin I know._

* * *

"Gear-secondo"

Head down and his fist against the dirt, Luffy breathed heavily. His rubber limbs began to steam and turn a bright sizzling pink as he readied his attack. Coerced into a one-on-one battle with Mr. F, Luffy had fought wildly for the past hour. Even so, he had yet to land a vital blow against the Baroque Works agent. Luffy gritted his teeth together as he swung his arm around. Mr. F's smirk oozed with arrogance and he made a gesture egging the rubber boy to come at him.

"GAAAAAAH!" Luffy yelled as he made a running start.

Unknown to the Strawhat captain, two streets over was Zoro and the whitebeard-phony locked down in a match. Their swords clang together several times before they ended in a deadlock both of them trying to push their blade against his opponents.

His fight with the whitebeard impersonator wasn't even close to over when Nami, Sanji, and Marco found them. At the same time, Usopp came running toward them in a state of panic yelling something about the ship being attacked.

"They did what to Frankie?!" Zoro yelled.

"He's all charred and his metal parts are all scratched," Usopp replied. "We need Chopper!"

Nami clapped a hand over her mouth.

"We'll help you look," Sanji replied. "Let's go Nami-san."

Sanji and Nami left the scene looking and Usopp rushed after them. Swords still locked, Zoro yelled, "Who's watching Frankie and the ship?!" But it was too late, Usopp was already too far to hear him.

The only one left was Marco, whose arms were dissolving into a fiery blue and yellow. "Let me take over."

Zoro growled but didn't budge.

"You're the first mate, swordsman. Help your crew," Marco stated calmly but firmly. "Besides, anybody who's pretending to be part of the Whitebeards is going to have to deal with me."

Relenting, Zoro flung his third sword untangling his blade from the enemy. Marco rushed in half transforming into a phoenix as Zoro jumped to the side and headed in the direction of the ship… or at least the direction he _thought_ the ship was in. Zoro turned a corner and suddenly he was at another dead end. _Damn it,_ Zoro screamed in his head.

* * *

"So you think Gold D. Roger was searching for the Poneglyphs?"

"I'm only speculating," Robin answered. "Your father's name was engraved by the writings in Skypiea."

Ace halted.

"What's wrong?" Robin stopped to look at him.

Ace's voice came out low. "Please, don't refer to that pirate as my father."

Robin felt a tinge of guilt. She should have realized sooner. Not everyone is good at compartmentalizing their feelings like she was. Robin hid things and she hid them well. Nobody ever questions the crisp, confident curve of her half smile nor the icy air of indifference floating like a barrier around her. But, Ace wasn't like Robin. Ace deflects and he'd channel all his feelings into anger. When he was young, he'd go on rampages, throwing things, punching trees, and getting into petty fights with big drunk strangers. And when his body was too physically tired to do anything else, he'd collapse onto the grass and stare at the sea, thinking, thinking, thinking if _it was good_. Was _he_ good? And if it even matters what kind of person he was if nobody wanted him to be born in the first place. And when he couldn't figure out the answer, he'd sleep and wake up to start the whole cycle of self-loathing again.

So what did it matter to him if Gold D. Roger was looking for the poneglyphs? All that man did, was die and leave a world of hate for his son. The only reason the poneglyphs are important to Ace now is because they're important to Robin. And this is all that matters.

Robin dipped her head in slight apology. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Ace shook himself off. "I'm good."

What Robin noted as shame and disdain on his face faded, replaced by his signature smile as he began walking again. His disposition changed so instantly, Robin wondered if he was just trying to put up a front. His hand slid into Robin's as he passed her. Fingers interlocked, they continued together through the woods. Her touch soothed him and the tension melted away from the comfort of her presence.

Aside from some rough terrain and slippery slopes, navigating their way to the coordinates wasn't that difficult for two devil fruit users. Plus, Robin had memorized the map at the library. The trees thickened as they continued further and Robin could barely see the moon through the foliage hovering above them now. She noticed that the leaves grew thicker here and the soil was softer. Listening closely she could hear the sound of trickling streams of water.

"Let's take a break," Ace suggested. They'd been walking for hours.

Robin nodded.

"You thirsty?" he asked. He unhooked the water pouch that hung at the side of his shorts and tossed it to her. There wasn't much in there. Robin finished all of it in a few gulps.

"Sorry," Robin said. It wasn't til the cold liquid hit her throat that she realized how dry her mouth was.

"It's okay. I'm not that thirsty." Ace smiled and it made Robin feel warm inside.

"Still, I should refill this," Robin said. "There should be a path that leads Eastward. Mind scouting the area while I'm gone?"

"Leave it to me."

Robin nodded and left Ace while she headed towards the river.

The water ran smoothly downstream, sheer and sparkling under the moonlight. Robin splashed her face and patted the cold water on her cheeks to wake herself up. Wiping her face clean, she opened her eyes and gasped, pulling her hands to her chest from anxious fear and shock.

Trembling, Robin brought her hands out in front of her and surveyed the dark swirly lines tracing her veins. She leaned forward over the water and almost cried out. The veins ran up her neck and around her head. Her eyes, which were once a soft ocean blue, now shone a dark pulsing purple. As she stared into those malignant pupils, a sharp pain struck her temples. Then veins began to glow and scenes from her nightmare flashed inside her mind like some chaotic light show. Robin squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head violently wielding the images to stop. Nami's screeching screams as she's being suffocated by the glowing limbs. Luffy's eyes, dulling as the glint of life extinguished from his face. Chopper pleading for her to stop, to let go, to makes those petaled arms disappear. Her head was throbbing now. When she thought she couldn't feel any worse, the last image almost killed her.

All her crewmates were gone. It was dark and all she could see was the figure in front of her. Ace, solemn but calm, stared right into her eyes. A silent surrender. " _Run_ ," she wanted to tell him. " _Or fight back. Stop me! End me! Please!"_ But Ace didn't stop her. Or more like he _wouldn't._

" _I refuse to hurt you…"_ he whispered. Before Robin could tell him he has to, an array of arms grew from the ground and enveloped him. Ace let them drag his body into the depths of the dark unwilling to fight or do anything to stop it.

 _No no no! Stop stop stop…_ Robin cried inside. With every ounce of mental strength she could yield, Robin fought to control herself. Then everything disappeared. Her heart rate slowed. Robin opened her eyes. The markings were gone. Her eyes were back to their usual blue. Aside from the clear distress on her face and the heavy panting, Robin was back to normal.

"Rooobin!"

It was Ace. She'd been gone too long. Grabbing the water pouch, Robin quickly filled it. She got up, composed herself, and made her way back.

* * *

"These look like the right herbs," Chopper said to himself as he plucked a few leaves off of a small plant. He began rummaging through his blue backpack for the medicinal book he brought with him. Flipping through the pages he marked, he finally found it.

"Yes! These should help Robin's sleep!" the reindeer exclaimed happily. That is, until another thought occurred to him. He remembered seeing the swirly lines on Robin's skin and the blood and scars on her arms, ankles, and abdomen. "I still don't know what to do about that. I really want to help Robin."

Choppered looked down at the herbs between his hoofs. "At least I can do something to help with her nightmares." The whole crew had been worried about Robin's nightmares. But Chopper especially. As the Straw Hat's Doctor, Chopper felt he was responsible for treating all of his nakama's ailments. That includes looking out for their physical and mental wellbeing. That's why, after he left Luffy and Usopp at the restaurant, he went searching in the fields that laid between the town and the forest for the herbs to make a sleeping tonic. Still, the little reindeer felt his efforts were insufficient. Chopper stuffed the leaves into his backpack and sighed to himself.

"CHOPPER!"

"Huh? Usopp?" Chopper squinted into the distance.

"Thank goodness we found you!" Nami yelled.

"What's wrong?" It was clear from Usopp and Nami's panting when they reached him, that something big has gone down. Sanji was the only one who wasn't out of breath.

"We need to get to the Sunny Go. Frankie's been attacked. He needs you."

Chopper's eyes went wide and changed to his four-legged form. Galloping in the direction towards the ship, Chopper listened tentatively to Usopp as the sharpshooter relaid what he had seen. There wasn't time to lose.

* * *

"I found the path. It's just through those bushes," Ace said when Robin returned. "You were gone for a long while there."

"Oh, I uh… lost track of time," Robin gave him a guarded smile. "Shall we proceed?"

"Sure," Ace said. He watched Robin move ahead of him with a furrowed brow. Something was off. It was like an invisible barrier was placed between them again and he didn't like it. What changed?

"Did you run into any trouble finding the stream?" Ace asked.

"No."

Robin knew her response sounded cold but she couldn't help it. At first, she thought having Ace's help with the poneglyph was a good idea. Even with the threats to her own life, Robin thought that Ace was the one person she wouldn't need to worry about getting hurt. Until this point, she really believed his immense strength and confidence would be enough. And he's never lost a fight to anyone, so the rumors say. But she had missed one obvious and dangerous fact: Ace liked her. He _really really_ liked her. Enough that he wouldn't dare hurt her even if she were to try to kill him.

Robin couldn't be certain if those images she saw were some kind of warning or premonition. She just knew she didn't want to take any chances. She cared too much about Ace. Almost as much as her crewmates. Plus, she'd never forgive herself if she'd left her captain's brother come to harm by her hands. And that would be her undoing. The trump card Mr. Green so slyly put into play without her knowing. Blatant threats may not be enough to scare Nico Robin into obedience, but this would. If Mr. Green somehow found a way to control her powers with Ace there, then he could get her to do just about anything. She'd spill every secret she knew or even sign her soul over forever if it meant Ace could get away.

But that's the other thing. No matter how she thought about it, she couldn't imagine Ace running from a fight or abandoning her. Luffy and him were the same. Totally and completely selfless when it came to someone else's life. Luffy fought his way through one of the biggest government facilities going so far as to challenge the entire world just to get her back. As his older brother, Ace would likely do just as much and more. He'd rather let himself get killed than to leave someone behind. And Robin just couldn't take that. How can she keep him safe? Especially from herself? She didn't really know what those swirly lines meant or what they could make her do, and she wasn't interested in finding out.

It was clear to Ace that Robin was grappling with something even if her face didn't show it. Maybe it was the tenseness of her shoulders or the way she seemed to inch away from him anytime he walked just a bit closer to her. Or maybe it was how she kept her hands pulled in towards herself as she walked as if she was trying to avoid any chance of letting Ace take her hand. It was when the bridge, the place where the coordinates pointed to, came into view, that Robin halted in her tracks and finally addressed him for the first time since they started walking.

"You can go, Ace-san. I'll take it from here." Robin said with a steady voice. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but she had to try something.

"What are you saying, Robin? Didn't we agreed to do this together?" Ace asked, a bit taken aback.

"You were fine company, but now I have business to take care of. I believe I only agree to spend the afternoon with you, commander" she replied casually.

"Commander? I thought we were passed the formalities, Robin. You said you trusted me."

The hurt was obvious in his tone and it almost made Robin stumble. She couldn't bear looking at him so she turned away.

"Ace-san. Please, just let me do this alone."

"No. That's the last thing I'd do," He argued. Robin still wouldn't look at him. "What changed, Robin?" Ace asked as calmly as he could.

"Nothing."

Ace couldn't stand this. He grabbed her arm and turned her body to face him. "Don't lie to me. You became a completely different person ever since you came back from the river."

Robin's face twitched and Ace knew his doubts have been confirmed.

"Maybe I just realized that you've been holding me back," she whispered trying her best not to make eye contact.

"What?"

"Don't you know anything about me, Commander-san? Nico Robin works best _alone._ You've just been a distraction this whole time."

"No, that's not it." Ace pulled her face up so she's forced to look at him. "I've gotten to know the real Nico Robin pretty well in the past 24 hours, and this is _not_ her. The real Nico Robin cares."

Robin tried to push him away but his grip was too strong. Still, she said nothing, so he continued. "The only reason she'd push someone away is if she was worried about them. That's why she tried to leave my brother's crew when she was really just sacrificing herself to save them. That's why she went into the forest alone last night. And I will bet my life on it that this is why she's trying to get rid of me right now."

"You don't know what you're saying," Robin breathed. Ace's face inch closer to hers and she felt his forehead, damp and warm, on her's.

"You've had to fight all by yourself for most of your life. So it's natural to feel like you still don't have people by your side. But, my brother didn't leave you behind and neither will I."

Robin began shaking her head. "Ace. I'm not scared that'll you'd abandon me. I'm scared that you won't."

"Robin-"

"No, Ace. Listen to me. You have to go."

"No."

Robin tried to think of a way to change his mind. And just before she could get another word out, Ace's mouth was on her's. She hadn't expected it and couldn't stop the moan from escaping her lips. Her entire body froze but slowly went limp as she melted into the kiss. Ace's calloused hand held her face, his thumb brushing her warm cheeks as he pushed his lips harder onto hers. His other hand moved behind her and down to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. Robin tried to wield herself to pull away, to disconnect their mouths, but she couldn't. She didn't want to. Soon she was kissing him back, her lips moving against his and her body leaning into him. Her skin seemed to light up as if responding to Ace's every touch.

Robin was breathless and a little bit dazed when Ace finally pulled away, slowly and reluctantly. His chest heaved deeply from the pleasure and he stared into her beautiful blue eyes. There was so much desire there. But also fear. Ace leaned his forehead on her's again and they stared at each other for a short moment. Until…

"Well isn't that romantic." A mocking voice rang out from the direction of the bridge.

Ace and Robin turned and saw Mr. Green clapping his hands in amusement.

"The funny cowboy got Ms. All-Sunday to love again. Too bad I'm going to have to ruin this happy ending."

* * *

A/N: Chapter finished! Kissing is really hard to write btw. Anyways. Hope you liked it!


	12. Chapter 12: The Poneglyph

**A/N: Soooo do you guys hate me for not posting for so long? I hope not. Anyways, here you go.**

* * *

Chapter 12: The Poneglyph

Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and Usopp kept running. Soon, the town entrance came into view. Chopper and Sanji headed the group towards the Sunny. Frankie needed help. And they were sure Zoro probably hadn't made it back yet. Nami ran behind them, watching the boys cross the gateway. She felt something grab her elbow and before she could do anything, she was yanked to the side into the shadows. Her reflex was to scream, but a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Shhh. I'm not going to hurt you."

Nami calmed down and the hand released allowing her to step back against the brick wall. With a cautious eye, Nami looked the figure up and down trying to decipher who the foreigner was. It was getting annoying how many strangers have been messing with her nakama. She wasn't about to let another one slip in. But the figure had no distinguishable markers. The face was completely covered by a hood that shaded the eyes and the cloth covered his nose and mouth. A ragged dark cloak draped over the entire form and it reminded Nami of the grim reaper. She would have been scared but she wasn't going to let herself die a stupid death. If she were to die, it'd be because she was chasing after some crazy adventure with her wild captain. Death wasn't just going to come pluck her out of the world so simply.

"For Miss Nico." The cloaked figure extended a hand. Hesitantly, Nami reached out and the figure dropped a small vile of liquid into her palm with a piece of paper attached. She brought the vile up to her eyes, looking it over as to what it was. She was never great with these things and wished Chopper were here.

"Please get it to her. She's probably already facing _him_ now." The figure turned to leave.

"Who are you?" Nami asked.

"Someone who's trying to repay a debt. You'll find the coordinates to her location in there." He made a gesture towards the paper he'd given her.

Before Nami could ask anything else, the figure jumped high into the air and disappeared. _There's too many people from Robin's past to keep up_ , Nami thought. _There's no time to lose._ Nami looked at the paper and ran out of the alley way into the street in the direction of the forest. Chopper will have the Frankie situation covered and Sanji will guard the ship. They didn't need her, but Robin does.

She ran as fast as she could and was making good time until she was suddenly knocked backward. It came at her so fast, she had no idea what was happening until she was on the ground and rubbing her head. She got up and dusted herself off.

"Oi! Nami!"

"Luffy!?"

Seeing his dimwitted, smiling face, it was clear to Nami he didn't even realize his fault. She balled her fists and was ready to unload a deal of rage, but there was no time. She had a mission to complete and she knew it was better to bring Luffy along to help. As much as she wanted to get going, she didn't want to run into trouble without any back up.

"I just beat up the wind-guy! Now Robin is safe!" Luffy told her gleefully. On closer examination, Nami saw that Luffy was sweaty all over and his clothes were torn and dirtied, clear signs that he'd been in a tough battle.

"Ummm. Not quite." Nami said. "I'll explain later. But right now, we need to get to the forest and deliver this vile to Robin."

Luffy scratched his head, looking at the little bottle Nami was holding up for him to see. After a moment of what Nami assumed was thinking, Luffy shrugged and said, "Okay, if it'll help Robin." He arm wrapped around Nami's waist several times over and stretched his free arm out and grabbed onto a high corner of a building two streets down. Nami's eyes went wide. "Wait, what are you – AAAAHHHH!" It was too late as Luffy propelled the both of them off the ground with Nami clinging to him, screaming for her life.

* * *

Robin couldn't feel her body. She tried to move her arms and legs but her limbs weren't listening to her brain. It was as if all the signals in her body were being intercepted by some outside source. Ace's hands were clenched together. He was getting pretty tired of Mr. Green's comments. Wanting to end things right away, Ace leaped into action. He lit his hands into fire and pulled back to ready a blow. Then he noticed something. Mr. Green seemed totally cool, standing still as if there wasn't an angry burst of flame coming towards his head. All of a sudden, a collection of arms with leafy vines twisting around them burst forth from the ground in front of Mr. Green. Ace's eyes when wide, but it was too late to stop the attack. His flames hit the wall of limbs and charred the flesh and leaves.

Ace heard Robin yelp behind him. Looking back, he found Robin hunched over and starring at her arms, which were now red with first degree burns. But it wasn't the burns that shocked him. Rather, it was the swirling lines, much resembling a full body tattoo, that traced over her entire body. They looked just like the real vines that encircled the phantom arms in front of Mr. Green. Ace was seething now. His arms flared once again as he cast a menacing glare at Mr. Green.

"Tsk tsk," Mr. Green shook his head with a smirk. "I wouldn't try that again. She might get _hurt._ "

Ace remained still, his flames slowly died down. The enemy was right. He wouldn't dare hurt Robin. Then what was there left for Ace to do if he couldn't even touch his enemy? Ace continued to glare at Mr. Green as he thought of what to do. It was frustrating.

Mr. Green paid the angry pirate barely any attention and moved his gaze onto Nico Robin. He smacked his lips together as if he'd just been served a delicious entrée as he took in the image of her body, now raked with the swirly lines that meant only one thing: she now belonged to him.

He hadn't been positive if his plan would have worked but now it was clear that he had complete control after testing it with that barrier of limbs. He had masterfully injected a serum of his own making into her blood stream during their last encounter when his spikes that punctured various sections of her body. The serum, mixed in he blood traveling through her entire system, directly linked his devil fruit power to hers. The enzyme produced by his spikes had the ability to disrupt the signals sent by the brain. When combined with the serum, the affected devil fruit user no longer has control over their power and their entire body is taken over. Mr. Green had only ever made one sample, and seeing the result of his work on Robin made him grin greedily.

"Shall we get a move on then?" Mr. Green addressed Robin.

Robin tried to look calm, but it was taking more effort than she thought. Her legs started moving on their own, and it was now a battle of wills. A battle that she already lost because no body part listened to her brain no matter how hard she tried to yield her legs to and arms to do what she wanted.

Mr. Green turned his attention to Ace. "Just to make sure you don't try anything funny while we're busy." He flicked his wrists once in the air. Green vines and phantom limbs rose from the ground wrapping around Ace's wrists and ankles, securing him in place. Ace could easily escape if he wanted. All he had to do was change to fire and burn his way to freedom. But he didn't make a move, knowing that escaping meant burning Robin's hands. And he wasn't going to do that even if his life depended on it. Instead he watched with simmering fury as Robin and Mr. Green made their way to the edge of the bridge. They stopped just in front of it. Robin looked down over the edge at the rushing water down below. The rocks looked ragged and steep. If anybody fell down there, they'd be dead on impact. Over to one side, hidden slightly by the ridged boulders was a small opening in the crevice of the rocky wall. If would have been easy not to notice unless someone were actively seeking it, and Robin knew that must be where they were headed. Mr. Green's vines made a leafy stairway descending downward.

"After you, Miss All-Sunday."

Robin didn't try fighting the legs that moved to take the first steps down. She knew it'd be futile to fight at this moment. Instead, she kept her stoic expression on and her chin held high. She'll just have to find a way out or a weakness to exploit later. Besides, she was sure they were headed to the poneglyph. Which meant she'd be one step closer to fulfilling her mother's legacy, even if it meant allowing the enemy an upper hand for the time being.

Mr. Green followed slowly after her, leaving Ace alone behind them. Robin didn't look back at Ace once, and all Ace could do was watch as she disappeared from his view.

* * *

Franky's body was laid out flat on his back with the help of Sanji and Usopp. They had finally made it back to the Sunny Go. Chopper, in his human form, was hunched over Franky's body scanning for injuries with a flashlight. Then he pressed the base of his stethoscope over Franky's chest and listened.

"I hear a beat!" Chopper exclaimed. There weren't many human parts to examine considering Franky was half-cyborg. But if there's one body part the cyborg would never trade out for a machine, it's his heart.

Usopp sighed in relief.

"Will he be okay?" Sanji asked.

"I think so. It's a good thing you guys found me in time."

"Well, I had Sanji and Nami to help," Usopp said. "Wait, where's Nami?"

Chopper and Sanji blinked and realization dawned on them. Nami wasn't in the room with them. In fact, they don't remember when they last saw her. Sanji ran out of the infirmary to the deck of the ship calling out, "Nami-swaaaan!" After a few minutes of searching he came back in, fuming and saddened that his love had disappeared. "She might be in trouble," he said. "I'm going to look for her. Stay here with Chopper, Usopp."

Sanji ran as fast as he could, retracing the path they had taken. Nami must have ran into trouble somewhere along the way. Maybe she was kidnapped without their notice, or maybe she had tripped and fallen somewhere and needed help. Either way, Sanji was determined to find her. He made it in his head to not make any stops until he found her. That was until he collided with another body coming from the opposite direction. A flash of green was all Sanji was aware of as he was forced backward making him stumble.

"YOU STUPID MARIMO! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" Sanji yelled. "AND WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!"

"I was on my way back to the ship! What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Nami-swan! Did you get lost again?!"

"NO!" Zoro's face burned red. "Now get out of my way you ero-cook!" Zoro stalked off.

"Wrong way Mosshead!" Sanji called out. "The ship is in the other direction. Forget it, we can't have you getting lost again. You're coming with me to find Nami-chan." Sanji grabbed onto Zoro's collar and pulled him back.

"What?! Let go of me. I have to get to the Sunny Go."

"With your direction skills, you might never find it. Plus, Chopper and Usopp are there. They'll take care of things."

Zoro grunted his disapproval. He really wasn't looking forward to helping the cook with his stupid errand. Neither did he want to make a trip back with the naggy woman who always found a reason to hit him and a pining love-sick cook. But Nami was his nakama and the Sunny was in good hands. So Zoro let Sanji drag him along on the quest to find the navigator.

* * *

Ace looked down at the phantom hands clasp around his wrists and ankles, feeling a little useless. He wasn't able to protect Robin like he had hoped, and now he had no idea what was happening underground. Ace racked his brain for a way to help. He tugged the limbs, but that made the vines tighten and grow. He couldn't break them and he couldn't burn them. But maybe he didn't have to. _Maybe I can't change my entire body into fire. But I can change parts._ He took a few breathes. _I'd have to be really careful at the wrists._ Closing his eyes and concentrating, Ace's head slowly disappeared into a blaze of flames and spread steadily outward, the flames dwindling down to a delicate kindle. The only thing left were the floating, disembodied hands and feet still held in the grasp of Robing's phantom limbs. Ace's new inconspicuous form trailed along the ground towards the staircase of vines, and down towards the opening of the cave.

* * *

Robin walked in silence. She could feel Mr. Green moving behind her as he followed. The pitter-patter of his boots echoed against the rock and dirt dampened by the river water that was soaking through. It was dark most of the way until near the end, when an array of torches against the rocky walls lit up. Soon, the tunnel emptied into a large cavernous chamber. Robin wondered how deep underground they were. It was probably safe to assume they were still above water levels. Her eyes scanned the area as they walked hoping to catch a sight of any other tunnels that could be used to escape. But all her thinking stopped when her eyes caught sight of the large block of stone standing in the middle, vines and dust lying over the scribbles.

* * *

"LUUUUFFY!" Nami screamed louder and clamped her eyes shut when she saw they were about to crash into the ground. She braced for impact clinging to her rubber captain, but the crash never came. Instead, she felt Luffy's body expand in size as his arms brought her up above him. When they finally hit the ground, Luffy's inflated body absorbed all the force and Nami was completely protected in the rubber cushion. Luffy released her and she rolled to the ground at his side. Luffy deflated back to normal. Nami got up, still a little shaky from the landing. She looked up at the stars in the sky, trying to figure out their position through the constellations. Looking back at the paper in her hand, Nami concurred that this was right about where Robin should be. Surveying the area, Nami found nobody in sight, but bushel of vines that grew from the ground in a way Nami found unnatural. Upon closer inspection, Nami realized that in the mist of those vines were arms growing out of one another, all holding onto a pair floating hands and feet.

"Luffy!" Nami called and gestured for her captain to come over. At the edge of each limb, a light flame flickered like a candle, avoiding touching the vines and fingers that held them in place. Nami guessed the fiery hands and feet were Ace's. Who else could have their skin lit with fire and not actually burn to a crisp?

"I think you're brother was trying to escape," Nami stated.

"Why didn't he just burn his way through like normal?"

"Look at the vines Luffy. There are arms attached to them. Who do you think those belong to?"

Luffy scratched his head and scrunched his lips in thought. Nami's forehead was twitching at this point.

"ROBIN! YOU IDIOT!"

"Oh yeah." Luffy grinned happily when he finally got smacked her face and sighed.

* * *

Only a few things were on Robin's mind as she stared at the ancients words carved over the dusty surface of the poneglyph. One, the actual translation of the writings. Because even though she didn't want to tell Mr. Green about the secret weapon, she still wanted to know it's valuable history. Two, how to gain control of her arms, which have now begun to glow and had swirly vines all over them. And three, how she was going to twist Mr. Green's neck once she figures out part two. Mr. Green sat at the side watching her.

"I don't remember you taking this long to decode the poneglyph for Crocodile," Mr. Green cut into her thoughts.

"Those writings weren't as complicated," Robin responded plainly, turning to him. She swore she saw a flame flicker behind Mr. Green but then thought it have been because of the torches. Her eyes went back to the writing. She'd read about half of it. It was mostly history but there were definitely references to the location of the secret weapon. If she stayed here long enough, Mr. Green will definitely find a way to extract the knowledge from her. If she wanted to escape, she had to buy some time.

"You never mentioned what you planned to do with the weapon," Robin voiced. _If I could just keep him talking…_

"Well that's my business, isn't it? It's not like you have any use for it." Mr. Green looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I used to think you and I were so alike." Robin raised her an eyebrow, an expression of mild interest. She waited for him to continue. "I used to watch you," he admitted. "You were quiet and private, yet still so efficient. I could see why Crocodile was so fond of you."

Robin gave a dry chuckle. "I wouldn't imagine someone being fond of a person they tried to kill."

"Well, you failed him. What else was he to do?" Mr. Green justified.

"For someone who wanted to overthrow Crocodile, you sure defend him a lot."

"He and I had similar goals. Its not unusual that I can understand his perspective on things."

"Hmmm." Robin had to keep the conversation going. "So why do you think we're alike?"

"Like I said. I watched you a lot back then." Mr. Green walked towards her now, eyes fixed. "The way you out smarted your opponents with your eloquent words. The flirty little smirk you give them before you tear them apart with your petaled arms. Everyone's seen the VP at work, carrying out the toughest assignments with swift precision." He stopped right in front of her but continued to lean in. "You're secretive yet forceful," he whispered. "And in that, I saw myself in you."

Robin still couldn't move. Her eyes caught another flicker of light behind Mr. Green. She swore she was seeing things, or maybe it was just a side effect of the serum in her system. Mr. Green's voice caught her attention again. "You always kept me on my toes. I sometimes got nervous wondering if Miss All-Sunday suspected me." He was so close she thought he might try to take advantage of her again. Then his body retreated back and she could no longer feel his breath. "But after the whole incident in Alabasta, I realized I was wrong. You're not like me. You might have been clever and strong Miss All-Sunday, but you never saw the great power of the weapon hidden within the poneglyphs. You just wanted to learn the stupid history and keep the power hidden. Such a waste, concealing all that destructive glory."

Robin's eyebrows creased and her gaze became hard and accusing. "The poneglyphs are treasures. They hold all the lost pieces of history that the world has forgotten. No weapon you resurrect can compare to the history preserved there. The words alone have the power to change everything we think we know."

Mr. Green scoffed at her words and walked away. "Enough talk. Just get back to deciphering that writing for me Miss All-Sunday."

Robin's chest was heaving. She took a deep breath and turned back to the enormous stone.

* * *

Nami hated underground caves. She hated them almost as much as the bats that lived in them. Nami cringed every time she heard an odd sound and shivered at the thought of any swift movement that wasn't her own. She groaned in her head at how she ended up here, trudging through this narrow tunnel with muddy water dripping on her face every few seconds. Wiping the water off her forehead, Nami looked ahead to her captain in front. And as usual, Luffy was in a completely merry mood, determined and unworried about the predicament they were in. He trekked on ahead at a quickened pace knocking rocks out of the way with his punches as Nami trailed behind him. Luffy was using so much force, Nami was scared the whole compound was going to cave in.

"Luffy! Wait!" Nami called ahead. She wasn't about to lose track of the rubber idiot. Who knows what sort of trouble he'd get into on his own. Luffy slowed to a halt and looked behind him. Without a second thought, he shot his arm out and grabbed the lagging navigator.

"AAAH – Oof!"

Nami peeled herself off of Luffy, then proceed to knock him upside the head. At the end of it, Luffy rubbed his head and his cheeks, all purple and swollen. Having calmed down, Nami huffed. She dug her hand into her pocket and took out the vile. _Good thing it didn't fall out. How much further does this tunnel go?_ Nami looked on ahead into the tunnel and began worrying. They were losing time. There had to be a quicker way to get there. Another droplet fell on Nami's head. She wiped it and looked up. She watched more droplets gather together until it was heavy enough to leave the rocky edges of the cave. Her eyes followed the route down until it splashed lightly next to her shoe. Nami leaned down and patted the ground with her hand. The dirt felt damp and soft underneath her hand. Her eyes lit up.

"Luffy. Come here." The rubber boy walked over to her, still rubbing his head. "Punch right here." She pointed to the ground, right were she was just standing. Luffy didn't understand what was going on, but he followed her instructions. It was better to just go along with her plan than to get another beating. The rubber boy twisted his arm back and punched. The ground cracked and shook a little. Then little by little, the crack got bigger and the rock started caving in, creating a big hole. Looking in, Nami grinned.

Turns out, there was a whole other level underneath the tunnel. Nami and Luffy jumped down into the lower level. It was quite a drop, but not big enough to break a bone from. Landing on the ground, the found that water was running down a stream, almost like an underground river. Nami scanned the area and found a small boat tied to the side. It was old and dusty, like nobody's used it in almost a century. She knocked on the wood. _No termites. And it looks stable enough._ Nami got in and turned around.

Nami looked at her captain with skepticism. The river didn't look too deep but if the rubber boy were to fall in then…. She gulped. For once, Luffy seemed aware of her hesitation. He grinned more widely and stepped onto the floating vessel.

"Let's go get our nakama," he said and twisted his arm and plunged it into the water. The rubber arm spun like a motor and thrust the boat forward.

The traveled along for awhile until Nami caught sight of a wooden ladder than hung from a hole in the ceiling. Securing the boat, Nami and Luffy climbed the ladder up. It became dark and the tunnel was so narrow. When they reached the top, they found they were sealed in under some type of stone. Balancing on top of Luffy, Nami pushed the stone up slowly and peered in through the crack.

* * *

In his non-corporal form, Ace hid among the fires lit by the torches around the room. Watching the way that guy was looking at Robin, Ace wanted to go berserk. But all he was able to do was create a few flickers. He's body had never been separated at such a distance when he transformed. He was use to making his fire big and explosive, and he'd use everything he had in a blow. His flames were always close. Keeping this form utilized a lot more control than Ace was use to. And he couldn't transform back or help in anyway with his hands and feet still stuck above ground.

Just as Mr. Green finally retreated from Robin, Ace's attention was brought to a square stone tile that started to rise up from the ground. Nami's head peeped out and ducked back down. Then the stone was lifted and moved to the side. Ace watched as the navigator climbed out of the ground followed by his little brother. If he wasn't all flames right now, he'd be smirking.

 **A/N: Until next time.**


End file.
